Fatal Bite
by MissBootjah
Summary: AU from 5x12: After Caroline tells Katherine/Elena about her and Klaus. Tyler was listening in and she follows him but this time Stefan wasn't on time. He wasn't there to keep Tyler away when he bared his teeth to Caroline. Will she get the help she needs on time? Can anyone survive three Hybrid bites or will it change her permanently?
1. Chapter 1

**So this is basically what happens after I watch TVD scenes before the episode. I watched Caroline's confession about her acts with Klaus because… well I had no time to watch the episode and I needed to know. So then I got to work and I was just thinking and then my brain just stopped.**

**What if Stefan hadn't been there to stop Tyler. This is what came out. It starts after "Katherine" Elena and Caroline talk about Klaus.**

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**Chapter 1**

"Omg," she heard Elena say and she turned around and locked eyes with Tyler. She should have checked. She knew Tyler would be present at the party; it was thrown in his honor! Why hadn't she made sure if he was within hearing distance? She knew why, she was distracted; by Elena's response, by talking about her actions with Klaus, by thinking about them…

And now Tyler knew about it. He descended the stairs and their eyes were locked on each other. She couldn't decipher his expression. He looked hurt, angry, accusing but almost… numb. How much had he had to drink tonight?

He was walking away, to his father studies but she couldn't just let him leave like that, not when he didn't know the story. She should at least explain herself; say something, anything, to make this better. She knew nothing would fix this though, he would be upset with her; she had expected him to be when he found out. She had just never anticipated him finding out.

Thinking of something to say to your ex-boyfriend is hard enough, thinking of something to tell him after he finds out that you slept with someone else… much more difficult. But having to explain why you had sex with his enemy… that's impossible. What could she possibly say? She had no idea, but she had to try.

She quickly entered the studies and noticed Tyler nursing another drink, he could hear her walking in and without turning around told her to get out. She ignored him, he needed to listen to her, she didn't want to lose friends over this!

"Just let me explain," she pleaded, tired already with having to explain what she had done and she hadn't even started. She shouldn't need too; they had all had their fair shares of inappropriate relationships. Tyler had made out with Matt's mother for God sake.

"No let me," he told her harshly but she could sadness overtake his voice. "Klaus killed thousands of people, Elena's aunt, an entire pack of hybrids, my friends!" he growled, "Caroline," at this he finally turned to face her and she stared at the ground while he continued, "He killed my mom!" his fist clenched and the glass he was holding shattered. She winced at the sound and the anger he was showing, she needed to calm him down, there were people downstairs and she couldn't leave him like this.

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry," she said softly while walking towards him.

"Just stop!" he interrupted her and she stopped moving. She could feel that she didn't need to agitate him further. She had seen Tyler lose control before, seen him angry over Klaus. She remembered when she agreed to go on a date with Klaus to help her friends and he threw a glass at her. She didn't think he would hurt her, but she didn't want to test that theory either.

"I walked out last time, now it's your turn!" he told her and she remembered what she had told him when he chose his revenge over Klaus. But Klaus hadn't chosen revenge over her, that's why this had happened. If only she could say something, if she could find the words… "Go," he nodded towards the door and she grew anger. Just because no one ever fought for her, doesn't mean she wouldn't do the same. She needed him to know her side of the story, even if it hurt him further. She wasn't going to let him make assumptions or be mad about this, it was her choice!

"No," she told him and shook her head she walked another step, coming closer to him.

"Don't take another step, Caroline!" he told her and shielded himself from her while she got closer.

"If you would just," she wasn't sure what she was going to say because it was that moment that Tyler shifted and showed her his hybrid face. She hadn't seen it often, especially not directed at her.

"Just leave!" he growled at her and she walked back a few steps in fear, wincing at the sound of his roar. Then she corrected herself, this was Tyler, he wouldn't hurt her.

She walked back towards him with confidence. She would get her words out, he had left her and if he thought he could push her away by putting on a scary face then he was wrong. "No Tyler, you can't be mad about this. I know what he has done but this is not about him. It's about me, I chose," she couldn't finish her sentence because she felt heat wrap around her neck. An intrusion, a sting, and then she fell down on the floor.

Her hand flew to her neck and she pulled it back, noticing how red it had stained. "You, you, you bit me," she stammered and her hand flew to her mouth, "No not again."

"Care I," Tyler walked towards her, his hybrid face gone but blood smeared over his face. Her blood.

"No!" she shot at him, "Don't you Care me, you stay away from me!" her voice raised and it seemed to have drawn a friend. Stefan entered the room, unfortunately just a moment too late.

"What's going on here?" he asked her and his eyes widened when he took her in, lying on the floor, he quickly rushed to her. "Caroline, are you okay? What happened?"

She tried to push him away, didn't want him to see the bite right away. This was bad, this was really bad. Sure she had been bitten before, but this time, this time there was no cure for her. Klaus was gone.

"I'm fine, I'm…"

"Caroline, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Tyler tried again and crouched down next to her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

She winced and pulled herself away, speeding to the other side of the room. "You don't get to apologize," she bit out, "You wanted to have me gone Tyler?" she showed her bleeding shoulder to the two men, "Well it seems like you get what you wanted sooner than you had hoped."

She could feel the poison finding its way into her bloodstream, she was already getting weaker. Maybe it was just the blood loss? Or maybe it was that she had survived two bites already, the second bite had taken her much quicker than the first one, and this was three. If there was a record for victim of most werewolf bites, she was sure she was winning it by now.

She tried to keep her balance and leaned against the wall, hoping it would keep her support. She could see Stefan speed toward Tyler and slamming him against the wall, he would surely kill him if she didn't stop him.

She wanted to say something, anything to draw their attention, to stop Stefan from killing a friend. She took a step, letting go of the wall and still had her balance, "Stefan," she yelled and he didn't look at her. He was focused on Tyler, Tyler for his part wasn't fighting him, didn't bite or push, he was allowing Stefan to hurt him, to end him if he must.

She wanted to stop that from happening, she didn't want anyone to have to die! "Stefan," she tried again and took another step. Dizziness overcame her while she took it and she felt down on one knee. She tried to lift herself up but couldn't find the strength to do so without having something to support her. "Stefan," she pleaded while she took a step on her knees, trying to get forward.

A dark haze was clouding her eyes and she could feel the tell signs of losing unconsciousness, she had been through this too many times already, she fell forward with a thud, managing to say one last thing, "Please Stefan, don't," she whispered until she let the darkness take her in.

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**So the big question... should I continue. I mean I can't let Caroline die now can I? I have two scenario's in my head. Either a three shot or making this a multi chapter fic and it all depends on what you guys favor. I can work with both :)**

**Also if any of you read my other Klaroline fic Work For It, that will be updated tomorrow. I forgot to add that in the chapter last time, sorry.**

**But this was just a small chapter to start. It will probably follow some TVD storylines but not that much, I will take my own direction from this episode and Klaus should join them soon. That shouldn't be a surprise :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**OMG you guys are incredible! I can't believe the response I got for that first little part and at first I was doubting whether I wanted to make this a three shot, just something that would have happened between episodes so to speak or I could make it a multi chapter story and you guys responses were so overwhelming. I kinda still can't believe it but this wil definitely be a multi chapter fic. I have too many ideas floating in my head.**

**I'm so glad you guys seem to enjoy the idea and I hope I don't end disappointing any of you. Thank you so much for your responses, following and favorites and we have the next chapter here...**

**Oh before I forget, Katherine is in Elena's body but I do still call her Elena because it's from another perspective and they think she is Elena. It will continue like this until someone discovers it's actually Katherine.**

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**Chapter 2**

Stefan could hear Caroline's voice trying to come through to him, pleading to spare Tyler's life but he didn't deserve it. He had signed Caroline's dead and still his friend was so good, that she would still plead for his life. Tyler didn't deserve her.

He added pressure on Tyler's throat and became aware of the silence surrounding them. Had Caroline already given up on saving Tyler's life? She wasn't one to throw away someone life that easily, even if he did deserve it. He turned around and searched the room for her, noticing how she lied on the floor, her chest moving slowly and inconsistent. She had become infected incredibly fast, he had never seen a bite work its poison at this speed.

He released Tyler, letting him drop to the floor and rushed over to Caroline, "Caroline," he shook her, trying to get her conscious again, "Come on, wake up!"

He could hear Tyler crouching down next to him and he had the audacity to grab her hand, "I didn't meant to, I was just angry and she wouldn't leave," he tried to explain but Stefan wouldn't listen. He didn't care what kind of excuse Tyler though he had, nothing made it alright that he had bitten Caroline. He needed her to get better and he knew there was only one person that could cure her.

He laid Caroline down on the couch and told Tyler to break up the party and find Matt, Elena and Damon. "What are you going to do?" Tyler asked before he walked away.

"I'm going to make a call, and you better hope that he makes it here on time, because if he doesn't, there will be more than one body to burry," Stefan told him, "She won't be there to stop us."

Tyler swallowed before he left; Klaus would need to come back to Mystic Falls now, because of him… He didn't miss the irony of that, so angry as he was about hearing that Caroline had screwed Klaus, now he made sure that he would have to save her from him… He had screwed up and he should be happy if he lived through the next days, but between Stefan and Klaus he doubted he had a chance.

He could run, could leave Mystic Falls behind, but where would he go to? It didn't matter; he couldn't leave, not before he knew if Caroline would make it. He hadn't wanted to lose his temper but regret wouldn't fix any of it, apparently calling Klaus would.

* * *

Stefan dialed the number that he had luckily never got around to deleting. He figured they would need to use it eventually but he hadn't imagined it to be this soon or because of one of them. Not like this, never like this.

It took a couple of rings until he heard complete silence; a mechanical voice informed him that the number was disconnected. "Fuck!" he hadn't considered the option that Klaus could have possibly changed his number. Now how could he reach the Original? It wasn't like they had the time to go to New Orleans. Caroline was rapidly getting worse, he knew that hybrid bites were stronger than those of a werewolf and she had told him about when Klaus had bitten her. She had almost died in less than a day. How long would she have this time? A day again? A couple of hours? He had no idea but if he couldn't reach Klaus soon he would find out and he truly didn't want to.

Damon walked in the room annoyed, "Tyler told me you needed us upstairs. This better be important because I really need a drink right now," he told him and then noticed Caroline lying on the couch, "Damn, what happened with Blondie? Can't hold her liquor?"

Stefan ignored his question and tried Rebekah's number instead but only got a voicemail, "Rebekah, it's Stefan. Can you tell your brother to call me back? It's urgent!" He hung up his phone and looked back to Damon, "Why can't any of these Originals just pick up their phone?"

"Why are we calling them again? Don't tell me you miss Klaus already."

"Tyler bit Caroline," Stefan bit out just as Elena walked back in taking her distance from Damon.

"He did what?" she asked confused, she had only wanted to cause a distraction for her to get away, to keep Elena's body. She hadn't expected it to have such dire consequences. "It this about Klaus?"

"About what? What does Klaus have to do with any of this?" Stefan questioned, "And do any of you have a working number of his?"

"No it worked when I called him about Katherine dying, but I tried again later that night to inform him that she passed and it was disconnected."

"Try Caroline's phone," Elena offered, "If he gave anyone a new number, it would be her. It's why Tyler was so angry in the first place."

"Why was that?" Matt said walking back in with Tyler, "What's going on with Caroline?" he asked, "Tyler just told me we were needed back here."

Damon leaned against the side with the bottle of scotch in his hand and took a gulp before he explained. "Tyler bit Caroline for whatever reason and now Klaus phone seemed to be disconnected which is really unfortunate. She will be missed. Now can we move on?"

Matt pulled back from Tyler, "You bit Caroline? Are you crazy man?"

"She screwed Klaus okay!" Tyler shot out, "She screwed the man that ruined our lives and she just wouldn't leave. He has taken everything from me! And now Caroline as well."

"She's not your property!" Elena bit out, "She can make her own decisions and if sleeping with Klaus is one of them than that's her choice. Just like you chose to bite her. Now have you found that number?" she asked Stefan who was still searching through Caroline's phone.

"No it's the same as I had-" Stefan started but was interrupted when Elena moved towards him and grabbed the phone out of his hands. "Let me see," she scrolled through Caroline's contacts and texts, she noticed a text send only days prior by a number from a contact called K.

**Love, save this in case of an emergency. -K**

* * *

"Got it," she said triumphantly and handed it back to Stefan.

His cell phone rang three times until he finally reached for it. He wondered who would have felt the need to call him; everyone who owned this number was right under this roof or lived in the quarter. He had to change his number recently, he wanted to keep his promise to Caroline, to stay away from Mystic Falls but if they could reach him for every whim he would never be able to keep that promise. Damon had proven with Katherine's impending death that they weren't afraid to call him for anything and he didn't need excuses to go back there.

Still he had texted one person his number, if there was an emergency or if she was ready, he wanted her to be able to reach him. He was surprised to see her number show up on his phone, he had been gone only for a few days, why would she call him now?

"Caroline, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked and was shocked when he heard Stefan Salvatore's voice instead.

"Klaus, we need your help," he told her and glanced over at Caroline.

"I'm sure you do, but the thing is, I don't want to. It's why I made sure you couldn't contact me but good form with using Caroline to get to me. Won't work, I'm sure that whatever is going on, you can handle it on your own." This was what he had been afraid of, he didn't owe them anything and he certainly wasn't going to help them like they were friends.

"It's Caroline!" Stefan said trying to cut straight to the case, "She needs your help."

"Caroline? What happened?" he demanded to know. She had seem fine when he had been there, perfect actually and she hadn't talked about any dangers. What could have happened to her in that short amount of time?

"She got bitten… by a Hybrid," he glared at Tyler who seemed uncomfortable under the accusing glares of both Stefan and Matt. Damon was still nursing his drinks while Elena seemed to want to get out of here, probably didn't want to see someone else she loved dying.

"Tyler," Klaus growled, there was only one Hybrid out there. He knew he should have ended the boy when he had the chance, and now he had heard Caroline but why?

"Yes," Stefan admitted, "Klaus she's fading faster than I've seen before."

"Of course she is, the venom has almost taken her twice already. Her body can't fight it for much longer; it's supposed to be lethal the first time."

"Hey I was poisoned twice as well and I'm fine!" Damon yelled over, listening in on the conversation.

"Werewolf venom yes, you have never been bitten by a hybrid, it's much more potent and she has had it in her system for quite some time before," he knew he would have to go back to Mystic Falls as quickly as possible, he had no idea how long Caroline would have, but if he was right, she wouldn't make it until the next morning.

"I'm coming over right away. It will take me a couple hours; make sure nothing happens to her in that time or I will find you responsible!" He hung up the phone and quickly sped out of the house; he could call and inform his family about his departure while on the road. He had no time to waste right now.

* * *

She could feel a heavy pressure on her chest, breathing was starting to become difficult but she was fighting it. She had beat this thing twice before and she wasn't going to go down without a fight, she tried to push the feeling away and focused on the voices around her instead.

She could hear Stefan on the phone, the caller barely audible but they seemed concerned. She could also hear Matt, he sounded closer than Stefan had, he probably sat by her.

Damon could be heard as well and she knew she had hear Elena before but she seemed silent now, she suspected she had left but didn't know why she would have. She was dying, and still people were walking away. Then she could hear Tyler coming closer, asking Matt if he could move and she could feel anger consume her. He had put her into this predicament and he dared to ask if he could sit with her?

"No!" she felt as if she shouted the words inside her mind but all that she managed to let out was a scratchy whisper.

"Caroline," Stefan rushed over to her and grabbed her hand, "You will be fine, Klaus is on his way right now."

"He won't be on time," she told him softly, "I can feel it spreading Stefan, I don't know if I can fight it again."

"I'm sorry Caroline, I didn't mean to do it. I was just…" Tyler trailed of not knowing what he could say that would excuse his behavior because the truth was, there was no excuse.

"Jealous?" Damon offered as an excuse and Tyler shot him a glare.

He walked closer to Caroline, "I'm sorry, you need to listen to me, I'm really-"

"Like you listened to me?" she asked, "If you had, this wouldn't have happened. Keep him away from me," she added and turned her face away from him.

"Care, you're going to be fine, you have to be," Matt told her and she threw him a smile.

"I'm sorry for ruining your party Matt," she told him and she laughed humorlessly.

"Don't worry about it, just get better, that's all I want from you."

"I'll try," she tried to smile but tears were coming up and stained her cheeks. It probably wasn't as comforting as she had attempted. It was ridiculous that here she was, dying and she was trying to make her friends feel better. But she didn't want them to feel bad about it, there was nothing they could do, the only one that could help was on its way but she knew it would take a few hours at least.

"Where's Lena and Bonnie?" she wondered noticing how both of her friends were missing.

"Bonnie is on her way, I don't know where Elena went," Matt told her and looked around like he had just realized their friend must have left.

"She probably had to take some space," Stefan said trying to apologize for Elena's odd behavior.

"Probably couldn't deal with being in the same room with me," Damon quipped in, raising another glass in their direction.

"What happened?" Caroline coughed; something must have happened if Elena had just left.

"Your ex-boyfriend interrupted us while she was breaking up with me," he grabbed the bottle of scotch, "I think I'm following her example, I'm leaving, loosing myself in alcohol or whatever it is you're supposed to do. Call me when there's a funeral," Damon quickly exited the room and Stefan wanted to apologize for his brother's behavior but Caroline interrupted him before he could.

"Don't, he's hurt, he has treated me worse so I'm fine."

"You'll be fine Caroline, Klaus will be here and you'll be fine."

Tyler pushed himself from the corner of the room, "So now we're just trusting Klaus to heal her and then what? Just leave like that? There's always a price with him, everything he does is for himself."

"You don't even know him," Caroline said, her voice was growing softer and she could feel herself being drained of the energy that being awake had cost her.

"Don't know him? Care, I was sired to him, we worked together, I know him plenty."

Caroline shook her head, trying to fight the sleep that was creeping up on her and ignored Stefan's and Matt's stares. She knew that Tyler must have told her about her actions and she was grateful that they kept the judgment out of her stares. She didn't need anyone to reprimand her actions. "You know the part that he shows everyone," she yawned and tried to lie comfortably, pushing the people around her away, "There's good inside him as well," her voice died out and Stefan felt around her pulse point relieved when he still felt her soft heartbeat.

"She's still alive, just tired," Stefan said reassuring a worried Matt, "It's draining her, she really needs that cure."

"She's hallucinating already," Tyler added.

Stefan looked skeptical, "She didn't seem like she was hallucinating.."

"Of course she was, she talked about seeing good in Klaus. Caroline isn't _that_ naïve, she must have started hallucinating already."

"Just let it go Tyler," Matt told her, "Right now, Caroline caring is the only thing that is keeping you alive so I wouldn't start discrediting her judgment."

"Are you threatening me?" Tyler asked, almost amused at the idea of his human friend thinking he could take him.

"No, but I won't get between anyone that will either. You've crossed a line Tyler," Matt told his friend. He had known Tyler for all his life and he couldn't believe that he would do something like this. He knew that Tyler came back different from New Orleans, he had noticed the changes, the alcohol abuse, but that wasn't an excuse. He couldn't go around attacking people, biting Caroline, just because he was upset.

Tyler listened to his friends words and he knew Matt was right. He wasn't welcome here and a part of him wanted to leave, he knew that if Klaus stopped by no one would help him and that Klaus wouldn't pause for a second to kill him but he had been ready to die when he had left to New Orleans. The only thing he had back here in Mystic Falls was Caroline and he had definitely lost her as well. What was the worst Klaus could do to him? He was staying, he needed to know if he had lost her for good because of his actions.

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**I will try to update again on Tuesday or Wednesday. Please let me know what you think because I'm still forming this story, any thoughts and ideas can still be incorporated!**

**Thank you for reading and until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone that favorited, followed, reviewed or read. The response to this is still ridiculous but I love you all for it and I hope you guys like this chapter. Also thank you to everyone who liked my portrayal of the characters. I know that sometimes they can be a bit OOC but I try to keep it at a minimum. Now as for Damon last chapter I got mixed responses and I know some of his comments might have been a bit insensitive but there will be more to him in this chapter and please remember that in the show this was around his turning point for going bad again.**

**There is a small flashback moment in this chapter which is in italic.**

**Also I just realized that I never mentioned it but I assume you all realize that I don't own TVD. Otherwise Klaroline would have been canon by now :)**

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**Chapter 3**

Bonnie ran into the studies, she hadn't planned on going to the party today and hadn't expected to end up in the Lockwood house regardless, especially not for this kind of reason. If she was still a witch she could have looked up a spell or a potion anything that could have helped. She might not have been able to cure Caroline from the hybrid venom but maybe there was something that could prolong it. Give her enough time until Klaus arrived, however long that would take.

"Is there anything we can do?" Bonnie asked while she came to a stop before Caroline's body.

Stefan shook his head, "No we can only wait on Klaus and there isn't anything else we can do."

"So we're just going to sit here and wait for Klaus to show up?" she asked, "Are we sure he will help us?"

Tyler sighed, "He will, for Caroline he will show up," he admitted and Bonnie looked at him doubtfully.

"You don't sound that happy about it."

"Am I happy that the men that ruined my life, is returning? No I'm not happy about that."

"Get over it Tyler, this isn't about you, this is about saving Caroline. Which wouldn't have been necessary, if you hadn't bit her! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't okay! I wasn't thinking, I was just angry and she wouldn't leave and then she came closer and," he started shouting at Bonnie but at the end his voice died out, "I didn't mean to."

"But you did. You better hope that she survives this or-"

"Let me guess, another threat. Well I have to tell you to get in line because if anything happens to Caroline, you're not the scariest person that will want me dead."

Bonnie edged closer to Tyler, "Maybe not, but I'm the one who will have to let you pass on and I'll be able to see you when you're dead. I'm the one who will be able to talk with every other ghost around you and I could call in a favor from them… Anchor remember?" she threatened before she turned around and went back to Caroline.

"I should be able to feel it when she's getting worse and if she passes… maybe if I don't let her cross over, if I wait it out, her soul can still be pulled back to her body."

"Can we not assume that she's not going to make it?" Matt asked, "Not make back up plans, she'll be find, everything will be fine. It's Caroline."

"I know Matt, I just… I just want to help and without magic I have no idea what I can do."

"Well you did a pretty good job in threatening Tyler," Stefan told her and smiled at her.

She glanced over at Tyler who still sat in his corner, "Do we know why he did it? I mean he said he was angry but why would he be angry with Caroline? This angry?" she waved at Caroline's body that clearly displayed her wounded neck in her current position.

Stefan and Matt shared a look, "We don't know exactly, only what Tyler told us but from what we gathered… Caroline slept with Klaus."

"Klaus? The same one that we threw a party for when he finally left? We're talking about the same Klaus right?"

"I don't know any other Klaus's, do you?" Matt asked her.

"No I just, I hadn't seen that one coming," Bonnie confessed, "I mean I know he had this obsession with her, but I hadn't expected her to act on any of that."

"Let's not jump to any conclusions, we don't know what happened," Stefan said.

"Does it matter? Klaus is the enemy!" Tyler grunted.

"I think it's better if you just stay quiet Tyler," Stefan advised him and then continued to Bonnie. "I mean she wouldn't be the first one of us that slept with someone that we would say was a bad choice…"

Bonnie looked at Matt and remembered how they had never judged him for his trip with Rebekah; Stefan had slept with both Rebekah and Katherine while they were on opposite sides and so on. He was right; they had no reason to jump to conclusions. Caroline was allowed to sleep with whoever she wanted.

"So do we ask her about it?" Bonnie wondered, a part of her had to admit that she was curious about how it had happened. Klaus had always showed some form of affection to her friend, more than he had shown anyone else, but Caroline had never seemed to return it.

* * *

She felt like she was paralyzed, she could hear everything around her but she couldn't speak or move. She had heard Bonnie come in and she felt the urge to laugh when she heard her friend threaten Tyler, she was quite creative when she wanted to, but she couldn't find the strength to make the sound.

She was adjusting however, she had realized that fighting the venom was taken a lot more from her body than it had before. She needed the energy to recharge and speaking was costing her too much, so for now she just listened to her friends. But then she heard them talk about her and Klaus and she realized that Tyler must have told them, or maybe it had been Elena?

She should have known it would get out but to lie there, unable to protest or to explain while her friends were talking about it like she wasn't there… it seemed like something from a nightmare.

"No I just, I hadn't seen that one coming," she heard Bonnie say, "I mean I know he had this obsession with her, but I hadn't expected her to act on any of that."

She wanted to explain that what Klaus felt for her wasn't an obsession, he liked her, that much she was willing to admit. Of course she hadn't expected her to act on it, Klaus had been the only one able to see what she was hiding behind her hatred. How she didn't exactly hate him, not at all actually, but she knew she should so she covered it all up.

She wasn't ready for them all knowing but she was glad that she didn't hear more accusations. None of them condemned her for it and Stefan did make a fair point, there was a considerable high amount of bad guys they had slept with…

She could feel her body start to relax, it seemed like the period of rest was doing her good. She twitched her finger and noticed how it moved but she knew she had to be careful. Using up too much energy would weaken her and she needed to save her strength. So she knew she had to rest some more and she had planned to do so until she heard Bonnie's question.

"So do we ask her about it," she heard Bonnie say.

"Absolutely not," she muttered and hadn't realized she had said it out loud until she could feel the eyes on her from her friends.

"Care, you're awake!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Barely," she muttered, "I just need to safe my strength, I can't do much or I'll just pass out again."

"Just take it easy Caroline, if there's anything you need," Matt said.

"A blood bag, some blood in my system should give me some more strength."

Matt left the room without another word, to retrieve one of the blood bags Tyler had stored in the fridge.

"How are you feeling Care?" Bonnie asked and sat next to Caroline on the sofa.

"Like I'm dying," she said and Bonnie and Stefan shook their heads.

"You're not going to die Caroline. Klaus is on his way and you'll be fine," Stefan told her and Caroline let out a bitter chuckle.

"No I'm going to die, I know it, Damon knows it and so did Elena. It's why they left; they don't want to wait around for someone to die."

"That might be true, but you're not going to die," Damon said while walking back in the room.

"What makes you think so? I wouldn't be the first person who died from werewolf venom…" she said while ignoring how he had left before. She knew he needed time after Elena and they had never been that close to begin with.

"But none of those persons had what you have," Damon assured her.

"And what's that?" she asked confused.

"A thousand year old hybrid that is in love with you, the same hybrid whose blood happens to be the cure that you need. He won't let you die."

"You were certain she was going to die an hour ago," Stefan told his brother.

"Aah, I had time to revaluate. I wasn't going to sit by and do nothing while someone was dying, but you were right. Klaus will be on time."

"You almost sound like you care," Caroline coughed ignoring the part where he told her that Klaus was in love with her.

Damon shrugged, "Ah it's probably temporarily, don't worry, tomorrow you can tell me how glad you are that Elena is no longer dating me again."

"Deal," she told him and turned back to Bonnie, "And no I'm not going to answer that question that you're dying to ask," she glanced over to Tyler, especially not here.

Bonnie sunk back in her seat, of course Caroline would have known she wanted to know more about what had been going on between her and Klaus but if her friend wouldn't tell her… well then she would just have to pay close attention to them when he arrived.

Caroline lied back on the sofa and looked over at Stefan, "Thanks for not saying everything about me sleeping with Klaus."

"You heard that huh?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah I could hear you guys, it was just… I couldn't speak, move or see anything. It felt like I was paralyzed," she told him and her voice grew smaller thinking back to the feeling. There was something frightening about not being able to move while being aware of your surroundings and the only thing that had kept her sane was the knowledge that her friends were close by.

Matt came back with a blood bag and she immediately drank from it, needing the extra energy it would provide. "Easy Care, you don't want to give in to your blood lust, we've seen that go wrong before…" Stefan told her and tried to pry the bag out of her hands when she didn't let go.

She knew he was right, she was unstable right now and she had drink enough to fight a little longer, she was getting worse but she had been further gone before. She knew what the next step would be though, violence or hallucinations. She had been lucky never to give in to that violent side before, she knew Rose and Damon had, but the hallucinations… she knew she had had them. Suspected it so, it was difficult to separate it from the truth and she wasn't keen on asking Klaus if some of those conversations were real or not. It was easier to convince herself they were hallucinations than think that on her last deathbed she had admitted that she tried forgetting everything he had done.

She still tried that from time to time and had realized she would never be able to forget but she was starting to understand and that was even more frightening. What kind of person did it make her if she could understand why someone would murder and torture innocent people, people she loved, to achieve his goals.

She didn't want to think about it, she just wanted to get through this day and she had to survive, she couldn't leave her friends behind. But if she did die… she wouldn't be along, Bonnie had been right when she threatened Tyler. She was the anchor and could see the dead. Worst case scenario: she would still be able to watch over her friends and talk with Bonnie.

* * *

It had been almost two hours after Damon's return and her friends had started drinking most of the remains of the party. Caroline had been unconscious for a small period of time, been put there when she had started hallucinating. It had started after she had seen her father and Bonnie had to ensure her that he wasn't there.

_"If he is here, I would have been able to see him as well," Bonnie told her._

_Caroline had tried to remember that, telling herself that it wasn't real and that her father was dead, but then a part of her had started reminding herself that so was Bonnie. Bonnie had been dead for months and now she was here, her mind was making her believe that Bonnie was the one that wasn't real. _

_Her best friend was dead, not here and she jumped from the sofa, speeding over to the imposter that was impersonating her friend when Stefan had intercepted her. "She's not real!" she screamed at him, "Bonnie is dead!" she sobbed and buried herself in the crook of Stefan's neck._

_"Bonnie is really here Caroline, we brought her back. Whatever you see over there, it's not real. This isn't you; you don't want to hurt Bonnie."_

_Caroline's eyes widened and she snapped out of it, "Oh my god, Bonnie! I'm so sorry!"_

_"It's fine Care, you didn't know better."_

_"It will only get worse," Tyler told them from his place, an almost empty bottle of scotch next to him. "You should rest before you get dangerous."_

_"This is Caroline, she wouldn't harm us," Matt insisted and Tyler snorted._

_"Like she wouldn't attack Bonnie? I'm saying this for your safety, I know what the venom can do to a vampire and so do all of you. It will get worse; she was never violent before so we don't know how bad it will be. Do you really want her to have to live with hurting someone she loves?"_

_"You didn't seem to have a problem with it," Damon quipped and Tyler glared at him._

_"I told you that I didn't mean for this to happen and I know the consequences will be bad. Klaus will kill me when he finds me here but I'm not going anywhere."_

_"Why not?" Caroline asked, was he that suicidal?_

_"I need to know if you will be okay," he told her and she sighed, so did she._

_"He's right in one thing, I need to be unconscious for a while. I don't want to risk hurting any of you."_

_"You're fine Caroline, you've snapped out of it," Stefan told her._

_"But what if it's back and I can't fight it. No I need to sleep, drug me, snap my neck, anything I just can't be able to hurt-"_

_Damon rushed forward and in one fast movement snapped Caroline's neck. Silence fell and they all stared at him. "What? She was asking for it and she was right in doing so. If she did get violent we would have need to take worse precautions."_

They hadn't wanted to admit that Damon had been right but it did cause another problem. Caroline couldn't fight the venom while her body was healing herself and she had been growing paler, her breathing was getting shallow and inconsistent. They could hear her mumble some words from time to time, either from dreams or hallucinations, they weren't sure.

"Klaus," Caroline murmured, at the hearing of his name they all perked up, looking around, expecting him to appear out of the shadows.

"She's still hallucinating," Matt said and looked down at his cup, "She doesn't have that long does she?"

"I don't think she does," Stefan admitted and they kept their eyes focused on Caroline.

"You wouldn't come back," Caroline mumbled and they looked at each other in confusion.

"What is she talking about?" Bonnie wondered and Tyler shrugged.

"Does it matter, she's hallucinating. None of this is real," he sounded bitter but there hadn't been any threats towards him for at least an hour so she called that progress. Not that he didn't deserve those but they would allow Caroline to exact her revenge on him if she wanted to.

"You're just jealous because she's hallucinating about Klaus instead of you," Damon told him, "Get over it, sometimes the girl you want doesn't want you," Damon took another gulp of his bourbon thinking back to Elena. He couldn't believe she had just dumped him, while he had been trying to get her back but she had a point. He couldn't lean on her to keep him straight; he couldn't burden her like that. He had to prove to her that he could be good on his own, or accept that he just wasn't good to begin with. He knew which side he was leaning to but that could come after Caroline. They might not see eye to eye most of the times but he still considered her a friend.

"You're breaking your promise," Caroline said and they could see a small grew on her face. Whatever she was hallucinating, it didn't seem as bad as some of her previous ones had been.

* * *

Klaus had run to the airport and had compelled himself a private jet, he needed to get back to Mystic Falls as soon as he could and he had no time to wait on regular airlines. Still, even with a private jet it would take him about three hours until he would reach Mystic Falls. He had forgotten to ask how long ago Caroline had gotten affected but that would mean that most likely she would have suffered for at least four hours.

They had said she was getting rapidly worse, would it be too bad? He had promised to stay away from her, to let her live her life but he hadn't expected that he would never see her again. They would encounter again in time, whether she came to him or they would meet somewhere else. He had never considered the option of never seeing her again and here it was becoming a genuine concern. He couldn't even imagine a world without Caroline Forbes, he had known she was too good for this world and she didn't deserve all the bad that happened to her.

All that because of Tyler, he grind his teeth, from all the people that he could have hurt, he had never believed that Tyler would be a threat to Caroline. Even with all his faults he did seem to care for the girl but now he had almost murdered her. He would kill the boy first chance he got and none of his friends could stop him from doing so.

Being in the air for a few hours did gave him the opportunity to think of multiple ways to kill Tyler and he had to admit that that was a calming and fun exercise. Rebekah had called during his time as well and even though she didn't care for about Caroline she did have some helpful thoughts. She favored the idea of compelling him to rip out his own intestines and eat them before he killed him.

He hadn't decided on anything yet but if he was even a second later and Caroline died, he would pick the slowest possible way with the most suffering for that failure. He had gotten away with too much already and this was the last straw.

When the jet landed he sped out of it, running straight to Mystic Falls making sure to run through the woods to stay concealed. When he was close to the boarding house he tried to feel around for Caroline's mind. He could pick her up effortlessly and he realized how weak she was when he could enter her thoughts. "Klaus," he heard her say and he tried to smile at her but he was concerned. Sure she was still alive but he shouldn't have been able to enter her mind this easily, not from this far away.

"Hello Love," he said, "How are you feeling?"

"You wouldn't come back," she insisted and he laughed, of course the first thing she would comment on was his promise instead of the fact that he was here to heal her.

"It seemed like you need my help, just hold on, I should be there in a few minutes."

"You're breaking your promise," she told him and he smiled at her.

"Would you prefer it if I turned around?"

* * *

"No, stay," she murmured at him. She knew that this wasn't real but it felt different from the hallucinations. In those she felt powerless, like she had no control but here, she could still chose what she was saying. Was it real? She wasn't sure about it. She couldn't hear Klaus say anything else, he had left her.

"Well it seems like those hallucinations are done unless they're doing things that don't involve talking," Damon told them after Caroline was silent for more than a minute.

They threw him a disgusted glare and he chuckled, "Oh come on, don't tell me that I'm the only one amused by the fact that Caroline has slept with Klaus?"

He was met by silence and Tyler glared at him, "Okay, obviously you weren't amused," Damon murmured and grew silent.

They could hear a loud sound from downstairs and their heads snapped towards the door. "What was that?" Stefan asked and Damon shrugged but stood up none the less.

"Let's check it out," he said and he and Stefan moved out of the room.

"Keep an eye on her," Stefan told Bonnie and she nodded.

"You didn't even need to ask."

They quickly ran back down and noticed someone standing in front of the door, Stefan had never thought he would be relieved by the sight of Klaus but right now he was.

"You might want to get the quarterback and get him to invite me in," Klaus growled while he leaned against the door. "I'm not feeling very patient."

* * *

**Klaus is here! Now I'm not sure on the principal of entering a vampire's mind, they never really explained it but I went with the assumption that Klaus' version is stronger since he's an original. I just wanted them to have a conversation where she wasn't sure it was real...**

**Please let me now what you think and if you watch this on a computer version you might have noticed that I tried to make a cover and epically failed, if you want to make a cover for this story, or now someone who is great at it, please PM me because I really want a cover for this story :)**

**The next chapter should be updated on Friday. Also, what are some of the thinks you think Klaus came up with during his flight, concerning torturing Tyler? Let me now!**

**Also for anyone who might want to find me on tumblr, I changed my url today so from now one you can find me with dreamsarefleeting . tumblr . com**


	4. Chapter 4

**Guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews and favorites and alerts again. You guys are amazing and I can't believe I've hit a hundred reviews already. It's great to hear that you guys think and most of you seemed very glad that Klaus finally arrived and liked their little talk. Good :)**

**Now I know that this is very slow paced and that will continue for one or two more chapters and then time will pass a bit quicker. But I think it's safe to say that this day is very important for the build up to this story. Now this chapter is a bit different because it shows more perspectives than usual and it was just something I experienced with. I blame being ill.**

**Also have you guys seen TVD? Focus on the good parts; she called what she had with Klaus a relationship and she had taken the drawing with her from Mystic falls!**

**Once again: Katherine is in Elena's body so normally she would be Elena but this shows more from the perspective so I refer to her as Katherine here. Sorry if it's confusing!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

This house, his house, Tyler's house was the only place that was still safe. The one place that Klaus couldn't enter and now Matt had to invite Klaus in. He looked down at Caroline's sleeping figure and he knew there was no question about it. He had thought about it and he had come to the conclusion there was only one way to fix this. When he heard Stefan and Damon call out for him he stood up, it was time to grant the devil access.

"Someone needs an invite Donovan," Damon told him and he felt like that had been the only thing he had been doing today. Inviting everyone inside that couldn't step over that stupid threshold. The only person that had been fine was Caroline but she had been in the house many times before so that shouldn't have been surprising. The rest however, even Elena, had never come to visit him in the house. That wasn't surprising, he had been gone all Summer and after they had left for college.

But now there was just one last person he had to invite in, on one condition however, "If I invite you in, you can't kill anyone here, no matter what they've done. This house was put in my name to be a safe place, I want to keep it like that."

Klaus actually smiled at that, "Making demands now are we? You do realize that if I don't get an invite soon Caroline will die?" Klaus could hear her fragile heartbeat from the second floor and he knew he didn't have much time left. She was strong, he could hear that, but if he had taken an hour longer, he would have been too late. He was confident about that.

"Just give me your word, I don't want anyone to get hurt more than they've already gotten because of this," Matt demanded. He had thought about this for a while now, ever since he had realized he would need to invite Klaus inside and even though he didn't agree with Tyler's actions, he couldn't just invite Klaus inside to safe one friend and kill another in the process. He suspected that Klaus had actual feelings for Caroline and if he was right than Klaus would put her safety first and agree with his terms, if he was wrong Klaus wouldn't care enough to want to kill Tyler anyway. It was a guess but he was confident that he was right.

"Fine, I won't kill Tyler inside this house. That's what you wanted to hear right?" Klaus told him, he had no time to call Matt's bluff. Sure he knew they would have invited him in anyway, they cared for Caroline and wouldn't risk her life, but he didn't want to hear her suffer longer than she already had. Besides it wasn't like a promise could stop him.

"Then come in," Matt told him and stepped aside while Klaus ran up the stairs. Stefan and Damon both looked at him with some newfound respect.

"Big risk you took," Damon commented, "Gambling with Caroline's life like that."

"He wouldn't have made it here this quick if he didn't want to safe her. He wouldn't leave her just like that."

"You couldn't be sure," Stefan countered.

"It's Caroline, who wouldn't want to safe her?" Matt said confidently. He had known her for a long time and she was good, everyone could see that and he had been right. He felt relieved that he had been. "Well I'm going to check up on them," he walked back up the stairs, leaving the Salvatores behind.

He should have known better to think he could outsmart an Original though. He entered the room and noticed Tyler lying in a corner with Bonnie next to him. Tyler was drenched in blood, unconscious or dead, he wasn't sure and he quickly walked over to Bonnie to check up on them, "He took her," she whispered and he looked around.

He realized he saw Klaus nowhere and when he looked at the sofa he noticed he wasn't the only one missing.

"Damon, Stefan!" Matt yelled out in panic.

* * *

Klaus followed the sound of Caroline's shallow breath and found her in the studies right away, Bonnie was sitting next to her and in the corner of the room he noticed Tyler. The boy tensed the second he had entered the room but didn't run. His mistake.

He walked up to Tyler in a slow pace, giving him the chance to run which he didn't take. Good, he didn't felt like being gracious anyway. He grabbed Tyler by his neck and slammed him against the wall, "You should have known that you wouldn't leave this place alive after you stayed here," he told him and put pressure on Tyler's neck until he was choking on air.

"It's a shame to see all the hybrids go, oh well," he put his hand in Tyler's chest and got good grip around his heart, "Any last words that you want me to pass along to Caroline for you?"

"Tell her I'm sorry," Tyler bit out, "And that you don't deserve her!"

Klaus laughed at that, "No I probably don't, but neither do you," he pulled back his hand out of Tyler's chest, making sure to crack a rib in the process. He looked at the blood that drenched around his arm and wiped it off on Tyler's shirt. "I promised your friend no killing in the house, but he never said anything about hurting you."

He moved closer and whispered his parting words in Tyler's ear he snapped his neck and moved over to Caroline, Bonnie ran past him to check up on Tyler and he glanced over at her, "He should heal in a bit of time. Tell him that I won't kill him inside this house, but he has to leave it eventually."

He gently grabbed Caroline from her spot and whooshed out of the room with the blonde in his arms.

Caroline could feel herself being lifted from her spot on the sofa by gentle hands and she didn't struggle, she trusted this person to help her but she did worry about her friends. She had heard sounds of a struggle and could smell blood, but not human blood.

Before she could try and say the words she felt the air move around her and she knew she was being whisked away, but to were? They came to a stop quickly so it couldn't have been far, had they even left the house? She was pretty sure they had.

She fought to open her eyes, to speak and ask where she was but then she was being lowered. She was laid down on a bed, resting on someone's lap. "It's almost over Caroline, I'm here."

"Klaus," she whispered and he held her closer in his arms.

"That's right sweetheart, now you must be hungry, here," he held his armt out in front of her for her to take but she didn't. Instead she surprised him by asking a question.

"Is this another hallucination?" she said softly, she had had to many already and felt like she couldn't keep them apart anymore, "Uhm, I feel bad," she muttered and tried to lay more comfortable in his arms.

"This is real Caroline, now take a bite, you'll feel much better."

"Okay," she yawned and grabbed his wrist in a tight hold. She could smell the blood in his veins and focused on that. Her veins darkened and she could feel her fangs come out; she buried her fangs in his wrist and had to choke back a moan at the taste of his warm blood.

She couldn't explain what it was exactly but Klaus' blood seemed sweeter and richer of taste than human blood did. She had noticed it the last time, but it seemed only stronger this time, she blamed it on being used to blood bags instead of it being straight from a vein, any vein apparently.

He could feel her fangs break through his skin and her soft lips latched on to his skin, it wasn't the way he had wanted to experience the feel of her this close but it would help her and that was what mattered. She drank from his wrist and he pulled her closer, trying to get her in a sitting position now that she was regaining her strength and rested his head in the crook of her neck, "There you go love, you'll be better," he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and pressed a small kiss at the place.

She didn't seem to react on him, only focused on the taste of his blood and he enjoyed that more than he should. Blood sharing was something personal between vampires, intimate, and Caroline had had his blood trice now. Never in his life had he shared blood with someone more than once, and here he was letting Caroline drink from him once again.

He tried to remind himself that it was because she needed it to heal, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it either. It seemed to be that she was enjoying it as well because she hadn't let go yet, he knew she must have had enough yet but she stayed latched on his wrist.

"Come on sweetheart, you've had enough for now," he coaxed her and pulled his wrist free out of her grasp.

She looked around bewildered, she hadn't wanted to stop and she thought she had better control than that. She did feel much better however and she had him to thank for it, she turned around in his lap and started lying down again, resting her head against his chest, "Thank you," she whispered against his shirt and started drowsing in another sleep.

She could feel herself getting better but she wasn't back to her old self yet, she needed sleep to get more strength and she had found a comfortable position. If anything happened, she knew she would be safe.

Klaus caressed his hand through her hair, "No problem love, I'll always help you," he told her. He hadn't expected her to stay this close after she had his blood but he remembered the last time. She had been weak after then as well and had taken a couple of hours before she had left the couch. Just because she was staying close didn't mean anything. He tried to tell himself not to hope.

* * *

"I'm sorry! I know I was supposed to look out for her but he just ran in and attacked Tyler and before I knew it, he left and Caroline was gone as well!" Bonnie told them pacing around.

"And we're sure they have left the house?" Damon asked, "I mean he could have hidden her in any of these rooms."

"Well I don't know; you're the vampire, do you hear her heartbeat anywhere in the house?" Bonnie bit at him and Damon help up his hands in surrender.

"Okay you're right; she's not in the house. I can't hear them but then where would he have taken her? And why?"

"Why? What does it matter why?"

"Why, that's what I want to know, why did he take her? I mean she didn't have long left, it's not like she could make a journey right now."

"So they must be close," Matt offered, "He would have to give her the cure somewhere but where would they stop?"

I don't know," Stefan told them, "But Damon is right, why would he take Caroline? What use does she have for him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" a new voice said entering the room, "He cares about her."

* * *

Katherine finally had full control over Elena's body, Nadia had confirmed that for her and she wouldn't run. Not this time, she had a clean slate and she could start over, together with her daughter. If she wanted to do so she would have to start acting like Elena, she thought back to Caroline who had lied dying on that sofa.

She felt a bit responsible for making her a casualty of her purpose but she needed to ensure her own survival and even though she liked the blonde baby vampire more than her friends, that didn't mean she wouldn't make the same choice again.

Katherine Pierce was a survivor, but so was Caroline Forbes. She was bitten by a hybrid and Klaus' blood would be the cure for that, she wondered if he would come back to save his little baby vamp. Could Klaus actually care for the girl or was she just a means to an end? She wasn't sure but she wouldn't find out by staying hidden, Elena wouldn't do that.

If she wanted to play this right she would have to sit around Caroline's body and wait until she died or Klaus appeared. Maybe she would learn something from the experience. Hopefully they would believe her excuse for why she was gone for hours.

When she arrived at the Lockwood mansion she could hear the gang worry, it sounded like Klaus had left with Caroline and she smiled at the thought. Klaus Mikaelson, the big bad Hybrid kidnapping a harmless sick vampire. Now why would he do that? Why would he even care enough to return to Mystic Falls. The answer was obvious.

Well apparently not that obvious "Damon is right, why would he take Caroline? What use does she have for him?" she could hear Stefan asked and she rolled her eyes at the question. Had they still not figured it out?

"Isn't it obvious, he cares about her," she told them while she entered the room. A lot appeared to have changed since her departure, most noticeably the heap of meat and blood that was Tyler. He seemed unconscious and she wondered why Klaus hadn't killed the boy instead of only harming him.

"Elena! Where have you been?" Bonnie called out.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't be around just to lose another friend. I needed some time."

"Well I hope you're ready to help us find Caroline, because we can use all the help."

She smiled at Bonnie, "Of course I can help," she mimicked Elena's tone and cringed in the inside. Wasn't it tiring to always be this… helpful?

It could be fun to see it from the other side though, tracking Klaus instead of running from him, why not. She would help them out.

"Okay so tell me what happened? Maybe he left some clues behind," she doubted it though, if Klaus wouldn't want to be found he wouldn't be found.

From the corner of the room they could hear a groan, great Tyler was getting up. She could see him pulling himself up on the desk and walked over to their group.

"We don't have to look, I already know where she is," Tyler told them.

Stefan raised his eyebrow at him, "And how do you know that?"

"Because he told me," he remembered those last words Klaus had shared before he had snapped his neck.

"Why would he do that," Damon said in disbelief, "Out of the goodness of his heart?"

"No, he wants me to leave this house. Because apparently someone made him promise that he can't kill me in here," he nodded his thanks to Matt before he continued, "That's why he took her, she'll be safe with him but he wants to draw me out."

"You want to trust Klaus to keep her safe?" Bonnie exclaimed.

"No, we need to get her back, but I don't believe he will harm her. Elena is right, he cares too much."

"So where is she?" Katherine asked curiously.

"Their old estate," Tyler told him, "He doesn't need to hide, he's just waiting."

* * *

**So Klaus took Caroline... I have to admit, I hadn't planned that. It just happened and I liked it too much to change it. Now there's this problem I have that I need your help with. I will create a poll for this as well so vote there or tell me your opinion in a review. What gets voted for the most, in reviews, PM's and polls by Sunday will be my decision.**

**The topic I'm talking about of course is Hayley. Now I've had a few concerns about her and I've honestly hadn't even thought about Hayley when I started but of course she's a bump in the road. I don't want to change canon before 5x12 too much so unfortunately she is pregnant. Now I can go two ways with her.**

**a) Use the royalty werewolf line thing and have her run off (and disappear) with that bethrothed of hers, **

**or**

**b) She'll be in NOLA, still pregnant, not royalty and background. That will mean that she's around from time to time.**

**Please let me know what you prefer because I'm not killing her off or make Tyler the baby daddy. Those aren't options for me ;-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow 350 followers! Thank you every single one of you! Every time someone follows, favorites or leaves a review is amazing and it really motivates me to write, I can't believe you guys like this story but I know I love writing this and it's the final part of Caroline's dreadful day :)**

**Thank you to Nicole (Nfinneman) for creating this amazing cover for my story.**

**Also you guys may remember that last time I asked you guys to help me out with something, well you guys sure voted :) One option won with a landslide and that one will happen but some changes will be made a bit. I loved some of your ideas as well and I realized there is just one way to deal with this. You'll find out soon enough!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Caroline didn't stay asleep for long, a couple of hours the most, she had spend enough of her time unconscious already, she was sick of it. When she awoke she could feel herself pressed against something hard and solid and she looked up in confusion, where was she?

She raised her head and found herself lying on a bed, her head resting on someone's chest and the rest of her body pressed against his side and an arm resting on her hip while hers was clutched in his shirt. She knew she hadn't fallen asleep like that, she must have moved in her sleep, she noticed Klaus closed eyes and realized she wasn't the only one that had drifted away. He looked peaceful like that and she didn't want to wake him, but she really needed a shower as well.

She was still wearing her dirty dress and the lower half of her hair was stained with blood from the wounds in her neck. Her hand flied to her neck, the wounds, she felt around and could feel the dried up blood that indicated that it had been real, but the injury was gone. She was healed again, just in time.

She tried to slip out of his grasp, lifting his arm and placing it over his abandon, she hadn´t been this close to him since the woods. It had just been a couple of days but it had seemed so much longer. How was she supposed to forget about him if he was here again? It didn't help that he looked so innocent in his sleep; she knew she couldn't let that fool her. She knew Klaus better than that.

Still unsure of her precise location she walked over to the window and recognized the land, she was back in Klaus house. This was probably his bedroom. She swallowed deeply and looked around for the bathroom door. She really needed the feel of hot water on her body to feel even remotely clean again.

She glanced over at the bed and was satisfied to discover that Klaus was still asleep. She had no idea what was going on in his life, but even an Original needed some rest now and then.

* * *

He could hear a dripping sound, water hitting the floor and he opened his eyes trying to make out his surroundings. Something was different from when he had fallen asleep; the arms that previously had held the body of Caroline were now empty. She must have left as soon as she woke up, not even saying goodbye. Or maybe her friends had gotten her already but he doubted they had managed to be quiet enough to sneak in without being detected by him.

So she had decided to leave him, he didn't know why that surprised him. He did promise not to come back, to free her, she had no allegiance to him and she could do as she pleased.

The sound that had awoken him stopped and he could hear sounds coming from his bathroom. The door creaked and Caroline returned into the room, one of his towels wrapped around her small frame, "Hey do you happen to have something I can wear? This dress is pretty much ruined," she raised her arm with the remains of her bloody dress to empathize her point.

"You stayed," he said in surprise while he took in her form, the towel didn't hide much from him and he already knew how marvelous she looked underneath it. How he wished he was in a position where he could just unknot that towel and revel in that beauty. But he wasn't, he had been here to help her out and any future decisions where in her hands. He would have to leave to New Orleans soon and she would stay here.

"I just woke up but I should probably find my friends soon, let them know that I made it."

"I made sure that they know where I took you but you're free to leave, you know I wouldn't keep you here against your will."

"I know," she admitted and fidgeted under his gaze, aware of the little amount of skin that was covered by the towel, "Now how about those clothes?"

"I haven't left any clothes here," he admitted, he had taken everything that was his to New Orleans; there was no use to leave his belongings here since he wasn't returning. It was only the land that remained in his name, since it wasn't something that was easy to sell.

She sighed and sat down on the bed, "Of course you're the only guy in the world who doesn't forget some of his clothes while packing."

Klaus chuckled, "Well love, I did have a lot of practice packing over the years," he pulled of his shirt and handed it to her.

She looked at the shirt in surprise, but put it on quickly, feeling his eyes on her while she did so. She was glad that she had put on her bra and panties before she left the bathroom, there wasn't much to see. The shirt reached just over her ass but it was still better than the towel, a lot more comfortable and it smelled good as well.

Klaus felt something growl inside of her when he saw her in his shirt, the way it clung to her skin, to see her in something that belonged to him.

She let herself fall back on the bed, "Ugh, I feel like I'm hangover, I mean what being hangover felt like when I was human."

"Well from what I've heard, the venom takes quite the toll on a vampire body; you will probably feel bad for a little while."

She shot him a glare, "Don't try to tell me what it feels like, I've had it happen twice before. I know the feeling, doesn't mean I want to get used to it. It just feels worse this time, I don't know, I guess every time does."

"I'm not going to let this happen to you again Caroline!" Klaus promised and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Really? What are you going to do to stop that? You can't. You can't control everything Klaus."

"Maybe, but when it happens, I can make sure you have something to heal you."

"What do you-" before she could finish her question Klaus had bitten in his wrist again, he grabbed a glass from his nightstand and held it under his bite. When the glass was filled he handed it to her.

"You should save that somewhere cool. That way if you're unlucky enough to get bitten again, you don't have to call me to help you. You don't have to see me, just because you need something from me."

"Klaus, I-"

"No I remember what you said, I made a promise and I broke it, but I figured that there were some special circumstances…"

"You were in my mind. That wasn't a hallucination," she had only mentioned his promise in there but she hadn't expected it to be real. Still she hadn't thought it to be fake either.

"No it wasn't."

"What else? What else wasn't a hallucination?" she had never asked before and finally had the chance to find out all the doubts she had.

"That's the only time I spoke to you before you had the cure so I'm not sure…"

"No not this time, but the other times as well. I remember seeing you in them, talking to me before you gave me the cure but what was real of them?"

So he told her. Not the whole stories, but enough for her to deduce that every moment that she had thought she had imagined with Klaus, had been real. He had showed her his vulnerable side at multiple occasions but only when she was dying, or when he thought he was, or when he was leaving. Never when there was a chance of rejection. She had said some things in them that she wished she hadn't as well though, admitting that she had tried to forget all he had done was one of them.

Their moment was interrupted by a crashing sound from downstairs and they quickly ran down to see what had caused the crash. Klaus knew of course, he had expected them to show up sooner or later, now was the chance for the Lockwood boy to prove if he deserved to live.

The front door of the mansion was torn off its hinges and Damon, Stefan, Tyler and Elena crossed the threshold. Their eyes widened when they took in Caroline and Klaus' state. Klaus only wearing a pair of jeans and Caroline dressed in his shirt. Damon let out a chuckle at the sight, "Well it looks like you were wrong, she doesn't need any saving," he told Tyler who had a scowl on his face.

"Guys what are you doing here?" Caroline asked while pulling down the hem of her shirt a bit. She hadn't expected them to waltz in like that and find her with Klaus, especially now that they knew something had happened between them. Elena kept glancing between them, Tyler was trying to hold in his anger, Damon looked amused but Stefan stayed silent, neutral. They were making her nervous.

"Are you kidding me Care? We're here to take you back, he just took you with him and we hadn't heard from you," Tyler told her and she glared at him.

"I can leave on my own thank you, I'm perfectly fine here. You're the one that hurt me, not him."

"He has hurt you many times as well, has hurt all of us, or have you just forgotten about that?"

Caroline shook her head, "Of course not but that's not-"  
Tyler didn't want to hear Caroline come up with excuses, there was nothing that could fix his or her actions, and definitely not Klaus', he just had to get Caroline to see that. There was one more thing that he could play, he wasn't sure if she knew about it, "How's Hayley?" he asked Klaus bitterly.

Caroline looked around in confusion, "Hayley?" she and Elena exclaimed, why would Klaus know anything about Hayley.

"Yes Hayley, she's carrying his child. What did he forgot to mention that?" Tyler asked Caroline and ignored Klaus murderous look. Good, he had been right in his assumption.

"That's not possible," Stefan told them bewildered. "Vampires can't procreate." In all his years he had never heard about any vampire being able to, how could this have happened?

Klaus sighed, "Apparently Hybrids are an exception, one of nature's weird loopholes."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Caroline told him and turned towards Klaus, hurt on her face, "I should go."

"I understand," he knew that she needed time; there had been no need to tell her, Hayley didn't matter. If only that Lockwood boy had kept his mouth shut, "There is just one more thing," he flashed forward and grabbed Tyler by his neck, taking him with him upstairs.

"Now I have to be honest, I wasn't sure if you would come but you just seem so okay with dying that I shouldn't have been surprised," Klaus told him and could hear the rest come into the room as well.

"Well you should be happy, you got everything you wanted," Tyler nodded his head towards Caroline, "Including her, unfortunately she doesn't really fit with you and Hayley does she?"

"Hayley is none of your concern, but since you seem so curious about her. She's gone, fled with her werewolf family," Klaus put more pressure on Tyler's throat.

"Now I do advice you not to look for her and try to kill her again, it's getting old."

"You tried to kill Hayley?" Caroline exclaimed, she never liked the girl but she couldn't believe that Tyler had tried to kill her. They had been friends once and she was pregnant, you didn't kill a pregnant girl, you just didn't.

"That baby can't be born Care, I had to stop it."

"So you would kill an old friend just for your revenge? And you wonder why I don't want to get back together; you're just as bad as Klaus is."

Klaus allowed Caroline a moment to talk with Tyler, to have her questions answered before he finished with the boy but then she compared the two of them and he knew that Caroline still saw him as a bad person. That wouldn't change just because they shared a moment in the woods. Tyler had ruined all that, well that's good because when they were done here, Caroline wouldn't like him any better.

"Well that would mean I'm exactly your type!" Tyler bit out before Klaus bit in Tyler's neck; he ripped out parts of his flesh, not enough to kill but enough to hurt.

"Klaus don't," Caroline pleaded and he looked at her.

"Don't worry Caroline, I will let him live. He seemed to care enough to risk his life coming here to find out if you were okay, I can't ignore that, but that doesn't mean I can't cause him any harm." Death would be to gentle for the boy, he needed to give the boy something permanent, something he would have to carry with him forever.

He looked into Tyler's eyes and started the compulsion, "I once took away your pain of having to shift every full moon, I can return it too. You will turn into a werewolf every full moon and when you do, you will kill any person that will come in your way. You will have no control over your actions during that time but will remember everything when it's over. You will have to live with that guilt far away. You'll leave Mystic Falls and never come back."

Tyler repeated it to him and Klaus smiled in satisfaction, "Now go along."

Tyler walked past them and left the house, Caroline stood there in shock not sure what to say. She was mad at Tyler for what he had done and she was glad that Klaus hadn't killed him but this? "He's going to kill people now!" Caroline seethed, "Innocent people that happen to be in his way, do you have any idea how dangerous he'll be?"

"Of course I do, but that's his burden to bear. As for those innocent lives, he was harming those here as well so I don't see the difference."

"You don't, you don't see the difference?" she said incredulous, "You told him to kill, who knows how many people that will be."

"Probably hundreds," Klaus mused, "Thousands if he doesn't get it under control soon. You should thank me, I could have killed him, but I didn't."

"I can't even look at you right now," Caroline told him and fled out of the room, she hoped that Tyler would find a place to hide himself soon. She wasn't sure when the next full moon would be but he needed to prepare, he couldn't just murder people.

She could feel someone follow her and came to a stop, "Elena."

"Caroline we should get you home and get dressed; you can tell me everything that happened between you and Klaus then." She was grateful for her friend, she just needed to talk about this with someone and she hoped Elena would understand.

* * *

"So you're telling me that Klaus, the Original evil hybrid, never denied that he was in love with you?" Elena asked when Caroline finished telling her everything she and Klaus had discussed. She just needed to let it all out if she ever wanted to put this all behind her.

"Really that's what you got from all that? He just compelled Tyler, he knocked up Hayley and he did many awful things. So he might like me and I might not actually be totally indifferent to him but that doesn't erase anything that he did," she sighed.

"But why is it you're actually angry? Hayley or Tyler?" Katherine asked intrigued about the Hayley development. When she had sent the werewolf to New Orleans she hadn't expected this outcome.

"I'm mad at Klaus, well Tyler as well, I mean he chose revenge over me and then has the audacity to be angry when I sleep with someone else."

"I guess it didn't help that that person happened to be Klaus…"

"He has no right to be angry about who I sleep with, we were not together, he left!" she crossed her arms in frustration. She knew it was the same with her about Hayley. She wasn't mad at Klaus for sleeping with someone else, he was single and had the right to sleep with whoever he wanted but she had expected him to tell her about something as huge as this. Hayley was pregnant, he was becoming a father and he hadn't even bothered to tell her, did her friendship mean nothing to him?

"How did you do it? With Damon, how did you forget everything he did to you?" she asked, she felt like every time she forgot something that Klaus had done, she was brutally reminded about it.

Elena seemed to think about it for a moment, unable to answer the question right away, "I'm not sure, over time I just saw that he was trying to change and I gave him that chance but I was wrong. He wasn't changing, he was just acting like he thought I wanted to see him, he wasn't being himself."

"So you two are really over?"

"God yes, I'm not getting back with Damon. Trust me on that one."

"I don't get it, you were heartbroken yesterday and now you are fine. How do you do that?"

"It's easy really, I realized what I want in life and I will go after that. Damon isn't a part of it."

"Well if you're sure…"

"I am, look I should go home, you should call Matt and Bonnie, I'm sure Stefan has called them already but I'm sure they want to talk to you," Elena said and Caroline felt guilty for not having thought of her friends. They had been there for her when she felt like she was dying and she had completely forgotten about them.

"Yeah I'll call them and thank you for listening."

Katherine mustered up her best smile, "Sure, what are friends for," and thank you for the information, Katherine thought.

Caroline walked her out of the door and they came to a stop when she noticed a package on her doorstep. Curiously she picked it up and took it back inside, opening it on her way over. Inside the box lay a letter, a letter and a glass. _In case of an emergency.-Klaus_

She scoffed, seriously? She had run off angry and here he was leaving her gifts again; his blood for if they needed the cure. Why couldn't he just be evil and stay evil, ugh she missed the times it was all so simple. Klaus was bad and they were good, when did the lines got so blurred?

* * *

**I don't want to throw Klaus and Caroline together right away, they'll have a road ahead but they will meet again sooner than they expected. Katherine is collecting information, Hayley left with her werewolves (next chapter will show Klaus take on that as well), Tyler is gone for now and Caroline is conflicted... It's not over, not even close.**

**Happy Valentinesday and I hope to see you in the next chapter! What do you think will happen next?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys :) Sorry I had expected to be able to write more this week but I hit a bit of a snag. I knew exactly where I wanted to end this chapter but there was a lot that had to happen before that so it will be struck out over two chapters. I guess you can say that this is the first half and I'll try to get the rest out tomorrow.**

**First off thank you to everyone that reviewed, you guys have no idea how much you guys are helping me with this story! I mean you guys possitive words and suggestions or just stopping by for a chat, I couldn't do this without you guys, you keep me writing. The same to everyone else that reads this story of course, I just don't know who you guys are :(**

**Now I know Tyler's punnishment was received as harsh, while others liked it. It will all make sense later.**

**Katherine is still in Elena's body but her parts are written as Elena and _italic_ is a flashback.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

It had been one week and if she had thought that everything could go back to how it had been she was mistaken. Too much had happened in the past weeks, Caroline's near death-death experience was just the last in a string of unfortunate events, at the same time that night had also been a catalyst of many new problems.

After Caroline had reassured everyone that she was fine, that Klaus hadn't harmed her in anyway and apologized to her mother for not informing her of her condition, she had tried to take a quiet day inside. She hadn't needed to return to Whitmore yet and she figured that a day settling and trying to wrap her mind around everything that had happened would have been good for her. Of course just because she decided to take a day off, didn't mean everyone else took one either.

It had started with Stefan coming over to voice his concern about Damon. Elena breaking up with him had hit him hard; she had noticed that when she was poisoned but apparently it had gotten only worse after. She had been a distraction, something to focus on, something he needed to stay in control for, but then she had been better and he ran into an old friend…

He hadn't exactly lost control over himself but that seemed to be the worst of it, Damon seemed perfectly fine with resorting to his old ways and Stefan had requested her help to get Damon and Elena back together. Her friend could bring Damon back and she knew that Stefan was right, but was it right for Elena? She had been quite clear that day before that she was done giving Damon another chance. So she had told Stefan that she would try to talk with Elena but she didn't have a lot of hope.

She hadn't seen either of them for that day but the day after Elena had run into her house pissed off at a certain Salvatore brother and not the one she had been expecting her to be mad at.

_"I can't believe the nerve he has!" Elena seethed, "He practically told me to get back with Damon just so he wouldn't fall of the rails. I can't do that. I have myself to think of."_

_"Elena what are you talking about?" her friend had just burst in her room exploding in a rant and she couldn't understand what made Elena so angry, except that it had something to do with Damon._

_"Stefan! He's trying to get me back with Damon and ugh! Why does this have to be this damn complicated?"_

_"Break ups are never easy 'Lena and well, let's be honest, yours is kinda unconventional but Stefan is just protective of his brother and he thinks you can help," Caroline tried to explain._

_Elena looked at her in shock, "You agree with him. I had expected support from you Caroline Forbes, you hate Damon. I mean look at what he has done to you."_

_"Maybe I came to realize that I'm the last person to judge who you want to date, based on someones past…"_

_"This is about Klaus, look Caroline, I love to hear more about you and Klaus, trust me I do! But not right now, right now I need your help in getting Stefan of my back, I don't want to be torn between those two again, it didn't end well the first time."_

_Caroline sighed, Elena was right, what had her being involved with the Salvatore's brought them? They had all lost people and all had died, multiple times for some of them actually… So maybe she was right, maybe Elena being just Elena for a while was what was best for her, and she did want the best for her friend._

_"Okay fine, I won't help Stefan but if you could at least talk to Damon, tried to get him not to kill anyone…"_

_"Fine, but if he doesn't listen," she pierced Caroline with her glare, "I can't control him."_

The two had talked alright, or fighting more likely but in the end they came to an agreement, they both needed to work on them self before they could be together. Elena had to learn how to be a vampire without having any distractions and Damon had to learn how to… not be Damon.

Those were Elena's word and Caroline doubted their truth but she had promised to support her friend so she would. For whatever reason Elena felt the need to be alone, it was her choice.

After that Caroline had expected to be done and she had returned to Whitmore with Bonnie, classes could be challenging but she liked that for once she had to focus on her academic problems instead of those of life and death. College was supposed to be one of the big obstacles in an adolescent life and for once she could relate. Until Matt had knocked on her door, that had been two nights ago.

In all her hurry to forget about Klaus, about everything that had happened and to just hide it behind her wall she had forgotten the most important thing, the one thing that Matt had focused on but couldn't do without her. He had tried to track Tyler.

It wasn't like she had forgotten about what Klaus had done to Tyler, it was on her mind every time she had allowed it to dwell, but she had been more focused on what Klaus had done and what Tyler would do. He had already proven himself to be in a bad place when he had bitten her... she still couldn't believe he had actually done that, she just wanted to forget about it all. Matt had been focused on something else completely, he had thought about what they could do, to stop Tyler from killing innocent people because he couldn't control himself. Control, it seemed like something that they had lost so long ago, control about their lives, about what they were, who they loved… Focus, she chastised herself, today would be a full moon and Tyler would kill people unless they managed to track him.

Matt had come to her for help, hoping that she would know some of his old hideouts but she had to admit that Tyler had never confided those locations to her. Their next step would have been Bonnie but she had no magic after she came back and it wasn't like she had something to track him with either.

A part of her knew it was a lost cause, looking for Tyler while he made it his mission not to be found… He had more experience by now and with the full moon coming up he would hide somewhere, he could be anywhere by now.

One last time she called Matt, "Any luck?"

"No he's not here either, you're sure he never mentioned any other packs that he has stayed with?"

"No this was the last one that he had mentioned, so if he's not with a pack… then where is he?"

* * *

"Why have you returned Hybrid?" a commanding voice asked from the shadows, Tyler spun around looking for the source of the sound but found only more darkness.

"It has no use to search for someone who doesn't want to be found. Now answer me, why have you returned to me after you're last failure?"

"I need your help," Tyler pleaded and continued to look around for the familiar face. She had helped him once and he hoped she could do it again.

"Of course you do, but why should I help you? You promised to kill Klaus, to make him loose everything last time you were here but you proved to be unsuccessful even after we gave you the information about the wolf girl. Do I look like a fool that will make the same mistake twice?" she appeared from the shadows and Tyler bowed his head in shame.

"I failed, I know that but Klaus isn't someone that you take down easily, Sabine."

"Don't I know it," she mused, "Oh and my name is Celeste now."

"What?" he looked confused at this and she chuckled.

"Well, it's my given name and just because I use this one's body, doesn't mean I have to take her name as well."

"You… what?"

"It's not important, what matters is that you failed me and you're no longer of use for me," she raised her hand and he dropped to the floor, grabbing his head in agony.

"No, stop, I need," he tried to growl between the pain.

"I hear a lot about what you need, what about what I need? Klaus Mikaelsons dead. Now you can't help me with that, give me one reason that I should keep you around."

"He compelled me," Tyler bit out, trying to explain what had happened and to his relief the spell broke, he fell down and the ground and quickly gathered his strength to get back up.

"He had you, could have killed you but choose to compel you. Why would he do that?"

"He didn't want me dead, he thought that living would be more painful for me," he said sourly.

Celeste looked it over and took it in, "He might be right but there must be more, Klaus doesn't leave any survivors, especially those that harm him or his family. What did he compel you to do?"

"To turn on the full moon, to kill everyone I see," Tyler growled in anger, Klaus had made him leave his town again and he would be a danger for anyone that encountered him in a few hours. The witch was his last hope, he didn't trust her but she hated Klaus enough to not be his enemy either.

Celeste let out a laugh, "Well I might hate Klaus, but you have to admit, he does do revenge best," she paused for a second, "Well second best, I intend to better him."

"Can you reverse his compulsion?"

"I'll see what I can do if you answer one question. This is recent, a full moon has passed since the last time we spoke and you would have come before then, so what happened that he choose to do this now?"

Something in her voice told him that lying was pointless so he didn't, "I bit my ex-girlfriend, Klaus had to come back to heal her. The compulsion was my punishment."

"He healed her?"

"Caroline? Yes he did."

"Why? What's so special about her?"

"Does it matter? Can you reverse the compulsion or not?"

"It would be wise not to make demands. You need something from me, don't forget that!"

"Okay fine, he has this obsession with her; he was angry with me and she wouldn't let him kill me so he compelled me. Now please fix it before innocent people get hurt."

"The full moon is tonight. All the people that will get murdered if I don't stop you…," she murmured a few words under her breath, Latin, Tyler had no idea what she was chanting but he could feel a current pass through him and looked at her with hope.

"Did it work? Is it broken?"

Celeste feigned compassion, "I'm sorry, it seems like and Original's compulsion is to powerful. I can't help you. If I were you I would find a good place to hide, and try not to bite too many people."

"You're telling me you can't help me at all?" Tyler got closer to her, "You have to help me, people will get hurt if you don't!"

"That's too bad, but you're condition is no longer my concern. The next time you're facing Klaus, drink some vervain."

* * *

Ruling New Orleans had lost his appeal after being reunited with Caroline for even a little, sure they had departed under less than stellar terms but he could be patient, she would forgive him with time.

It wasn't just his brief reunion with Caroline that had him on edge though, he hadn't dared to admit it in front of Caroline but he had problems with Hayley fleeing his kingdom. To be frank, he hadn't expected the little wolf to be capable of planning an escape and he hadn't counted on the help of her family. They had slipped beneath his fingers and he couldn't accept that he had been bested by them.

He hadn't been able to track her yet but every vampire in his kingdom was on the look-out if she dared to return. He didn't care about the girl but the kid that she carried wasn't something he would let her take. It was his blood and he had finally gotten around to accepting its existence, he wouldn't let another family member get taken from him.

"Niklaus," Elijah entered the room with a glum face, Hayley's departure had made an impact on his brother, they had been growing closer and now she had left with a betrothed that came out of nowhere and now there was Celeste, hell bent on killing them all.

"What can I do for you Elijah?"

"Hayley has contacted me…" Elijah admitted, reluctant to share the news. He had no idea how Klaus would react on this message.

"Hayley has reached out to you while on the run? Now why would she do that?"

"She has made a discovery that she thought you should know about."

"So she decided to call you? Now what was so important that she ruined her escape by talking to you? Don't tell me her and her betrothed broke it off already?"

"No it's not about that, it's, it's the baby."

Klaus rose of his chair, "What about it?" he inquired. What could have possibly caused Hayley to call them; she should be running for her life because if he found her, as soon as that kid left her body, she was dead. He could care less about Elijah's affections for the girl.

"She has discovered a couple of nights ago that she was no longer carrying your child."

"What do you mean she's not carrying his kid?" a voice rang from down the hall. Rebekah entered the room and looked at her brothers, "What has she done with it?"

"She hasn't done anything! She woke up and apparently was just… no longer pregnant, like it was never there," Elijah explained.

"Well obviously she's lying, there's no way someone can't be pregnant all of a sudden without any consequences," Rebekah bit out.

Klaus looked at them in realization, "Unless there was magic involved. Call the vampires back, call of the search for Hayley and find me a witch. They have some explaining to do."

...

"It was Celeste," a young woman with auburn colored hair told him, she was shaking and looked down at her arm that was bent awkwardly from the broken bone he had created.

"There you go, was that so hard to admit?" Klaus asked her while he released her arm, "Now tell me why she's done this."

"I don't know," she shook her head and Klaus glanced to the young boy that was being held by Rebekah.

"You have no idea do you?" he waved at Rebekah and she pushed the young boy towards him, he couldn't be more than twelve, "You're willing to bet the life of your little brother over that?" he put both hands around the boys neck and he could see the tears stream over his eyes but never making a sound. He tried to put up a brave face and Klaus found it an amusing sight, the young boy would proof to be interesting when he grew into his magic, too bad he would be dead if his sister wouldn't talk soon.

"I don't- Look Celeste hadn't even informed any of that spell in the first place, it wasn't until this morning that she told us her first plan had failed, that she needed another. She only mentioned the werewolves name, never what she had done or why."

"What's your name?" Rebekah asked the girl curiously.

"Lyanna."

"Okay Lyanna, Celeste has taken something from us and we want to know why. Can you help us or are you willing to sacrifice you and your brother's life for her?"

Lyanna shook her head, "No, she never took anything!"

Klaus pushed the boy out of his grasp and walked over to the girl, he grabbed her unharmed arm and pulled her closer. "What do you mean?" he growled in her face.

She shook in his arms but she managed to choke the words out, hoping that the information would at least buy her brother's life, "You can't take something that was never there."

* * *

**A week has passed and Klaus and Caroline both have some other business on their minds but fear not, they will be brought back closer sooner than they can imagine.**

**Now I've started this story from TVD 5x12 and I've watched TO until 1x11 so if Celeste seems OOC that's entirely possible since I have barely seen anything of hers. I'm not really following TO on the moment and this story is supposed to be AU from this moment so bear with me and if it's really a big difference, please tell me how I can improve it.**

**Now I'm sorry about the Hayley mentionings in this chapter but this is something that unfortunately couldn't be erased with a "She's gone now" as a lot of you had pointed out with the voting, Klaus did start to care about the kid so she's not totally forgotten but Hayley won't appear either. Please trust me and if you have any constructive critisism or comments, you can always tell me. Leave a review, a PM, anything, I always try to reply. (That said, if you don't have critisism, you can also leave a review ;))**

**A new chapter should be up tomorrow or the day after! Depends on how much writing I get done.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And another chapter :) In less than 24 hours, that must be a personal best! Well I did end on a mean part as a few of you pointed out and I really wanted to continue so here's the rest!**

**Thank you to everyone that left a review, that followed, favorited (I can't believe I reached 200 favorites yesterday! Thank you!) and read. I hope this chapter explains more about the Hayley thing.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_"You can't take something that was never there."_

Klaus took a step back in shock, releasing the girl from his grip. "Never there? That's not possible, we've heard the heartbeat."

"You've heard and seen what Celeste wanted you to see," Lyanna spat out and moved closer to her brother, "I don't know what she's after but she willing to go far to achieve it. A spell like that takes a lot of magic, especially to keep it up this long; I don't know how she pulled it off."

"Well look who proves to know more than she claimed to," Klaus said and grabbed her struggling brother out of Rebekah's hand before Lyanna could make it close, "Now how do you know these things? I doubt Celeste would advertise her plans to a couple of novice witches. And please before you lie, remember that your brother pays the price."

She looked at her brother in his arms, she had no doubt that he would pull off his threat. He would kill her brother unless she told him anything but there was not much more that she knew. She would no longer be of use to the Originals and then what, how could she save Andrew like that?

"A few months ago Sabine came over to our house a lot, my mother had a lot of rare spell books and she needed her help with something. I listened in sometimes, my mother would never let me get close to the books but I was curious and I heard some things there. Not much, I had no idea what they were talking about at the time but it makes sense now. The spell she was looking for was one to feign something, I didn't know what and I doubt my mom did either but if what you say is true…"

"Celeste was already in Sabine's body at the time, you think that spell was used on Hayley. But how did she know to spell her in the first place? That's a bit of a gamble…" Rebekah pointed out.

"Maybe she wasn't working alone or just waiting for the right time, it doesn't matter! Celeste did this with a reason and she wouldn't end her spell without having a backup plan. We need to know why she did this and I know just the person who can help us," he looked pointedly at Lyanna and released her brother, "As a thank you for keeping your brother alive of course."

"I can't just… Celeste is powerful, more powerful than I am! What do you think I can do to her?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing but you want your brother and you to survive, which means you're of more use to me than the previous witches I've questioned."

She winced at the thought of what could have happened to the other witches, who were they? Friends, family, it didn't matter, all that mattered was to make sure that she and Andrew wouldn't be joining them. "What do you need me to do?"

He took in the girl that tried so hard to stay strong in his presence; she looked out for herself but at the same time cared for her brother as well. That preservation would make her listen to him, she wouldn't gamble with their lives. "I need you to get close to Celeste, find out what she's up to, who she talks to, anything at all and report it back to me."

"And if you could ask your mother about those spells, that would be useful," Rebekah quipped up and Klaus turned around looking at her in surprise.

"Yes ask your mother about what she and "Sabine" have discussed back then; she might have let something slip."  
Lyanna looked down at the mentioning of her mother, "I can't," she told them softly.

Rebekah scoffed in reply, "Of course you can, just make up some excuse!"

"No I can't ask her, she got killed by vampires during the harvest."

"Oh," Rebekah said, unable to find any words to say to the girl, "Well that's unfortunate."

Klaus shook his head and shoved the boy towards the witch, "Just take your brother and report back to me, if you don't have more information for me by tomorrow there won't be a place where you can hide that I won't find."

Lyanna quickly grabbed her brother's hand and dragged him with her; they had to get out before Celeste would see them. She would need to stay undercover for her sake, for her brother's sake.

...

"So you're telling me that Hayley was never carrying your child?" Elijah asked after Rebekah and Klaus had explained what they had uncovered.

"We're telling you that there never was a baby to begin with. It was a spell, an illusion spun by your crazy ex that has a desire to see us all dead!" Rebekah exclaimed; she was getting fed up with people thinking they could kill them. They couldn't be killed; they should just accept it and move on.

"But what would that gain her? If she wants us dead, why waste her magic on keeping an illusion in stand?" Elijah wondered, trying to understand Celeste's motives. He could understand the anger of the witch after she got murdered and framed because of his brother but this Celeste was different then the woman he used to know. He couldn't understand why she had to bring Hayley in the mix.

"You know her better than we do brother, make a guess?" Klaus opted and Elijah glared at him.

"If you're accusing me of knowing more about this than I'm letting on…"

"No one is accusing anyone about anything, Celeste is proving to become a nuisance and she needs to be stopped. To do so we have to work together, it seems like we have a common enemy once again," Rebekah dared her brothers to disagree and awaited Klaus refusal but even he couldn't disagree that they were stronger together and Celeste proved to be more resourceful than they had expected.

"So how long has she been here?"

"Who?"

"Celeste, how long has she been posing as Sabine?" Elijah wondered and Klaus thought about it, Elijah could become a problem. He had cared for Celeste and that could make him a weakness, they couldn't afford any. Not now the witch had messed with their lives, made them care for something only to rip it away.

"We have no idea, she was here before we did so months, possibly years," Rebekah thought about it for a second, "She must have had time to think out everything, all her moves, we need to know everything Sabine has been up to."

"Sabine isn't important," Klaus told his sister, they had enough to concern themselves with without focusing on a stupid little witch that was no longer there.

"Celeste didn't come into Sabine's body without reason, the witch must have summoned her and we need to find out why and how."

* * *

"No luck?" Katherine asked while she was reading a magazine, she hated to admit it but she had missed the college experience. She had always been on the run for Klaus and before that thrown out by her family, she had never lived a normal life and even though her circumstances were anything but normal this was the closest she could have. She couldn't see the appeal but it was a good change of scenery, she had seen almost everything in her 500 years of existence and yet she had never experienced life as a girl of her age.

Caroline was pacing across the room and the girl was making _her _nervous, so it was a full moon and Tyler would probably kill some humans, he was a hybrid, they were supposed to be killers. She couldn't understand why the blonde would help him in the first place; he would have killed her if Klaus hadn't made it on time.

Klaus, that was an unexpected surprise, she would have never expected him to want to save anyone, let alone a baby vampire that was of no use to him. But he still came and from what she had gathered from Caroline he seemed to care about her. Enough to let go of his revenge against _her_.

That had been the biggest shock for Katherine, hearing Caroline explain what had happened in the woods. How Klaus had showed up to gloat over 'Katherine's' impending death but had decided to leave her die in peace because she had asked it of him. No one could tell Klaus what to do, Elijah had tried and failed many times before, but here Caroline had succeeded. She couldn't understand it, couldn't understand Caroline either. Why would she care that Klaus would gloat over her body, she had killed the girl for god sakes. But here she was, helping people that had wronged her; it would get the girl killed.

Caroline stopped her pacing and turned to her friend, "Nothing! Absolutely nothing, this was the last pack I knew about and they haven't seen Tyler since the summer."

"Maybe they're lying?" she offered, "Wolves won't betray each other like that, so why would they tell you where Tyler is?"

"That's why Matt was there, they would be more inclined to tell a human than a vampire," Caroline sighed, it didn't matter anymore, the sun would set soon enough and Matt was already on his way back. The best they could hope for now was that if Tyler went on a murder rampage her mother could track police reports for brutal animal attacks. They could search those places next.

"It sounds like you've thought of everything," Katherine admitted impressed, of course it hadn't worked but not because of Caroline's lack of planning.

"Not everything, if I had we would have found him by now."

"Stop beating yourself over this, it's not your fault. So Tyler might hurt someone, that's not on you, that's on him and on Klaus. Even if you would find him now, what would that get you? He would shift before you could stop him and then you would be bitten. Again!" What was it with these kids and putting themselves in danger?

"I could snap his neck before he could shift," Caroline opted and glared at her friend when she laughed at her.

"I'm sorry Caroline; I don't mean to laugh but seriously? You want to take out a Hybrid while he's in midshift, in pain and compelled to be highly aggressive. Scratch being bitten, he will rip you apart limb for limb."

"Then what do you suggest," she challenged Elena to come up with a better plan, anything that could help them and when she was met with silence she smirked in triumph, "See! You know we can't let him kill people."

"Okay fine, maybe you're right and we have to do something," Katherine begrudgingly admitted, she hated having to act like Elena sometimes, the girl had absolutely no self-preservation and that didn't work well for her. It was the only way to convince everyone that she was really her though; Elena would help Caroline out so she needed to as well. "We'll think of something but it's not going to work for this moon. There's always the next but we're not magically going to stumble onto someone that doesn't want to be found. Not in," she glanced at her watch, "Two hours."

"Fine, maybe it's impossible but I can at least try right? I mean who else is going to do it? Stefan is too busy with Damon, Bonnie is with Jeremy and Matt is already looking for him. That leaves us."

"You know that you could always ask Klaus to reverse his compulsion right?" She had the sneaking suspicion that if Caroline would ask, Klaus would have a hard time saying no to her.

"I'm not calling Klaus," Caroline said resolute.

"Write a letter or an email, whatever works."

"Ha ha," Caroline said humorlessly, "I'm not asking Klaus for anything, besides he wouldn't do it anyway. Revenge on Tyler is more important to him."

"Because he hurt you," Elena pointed out.

"Tyler did more than harming me; he went after Klaus' unborn child as well. He might try and deny it but he cares about that as well," she still couldn't understand how that pregnancy was even possible. She was expecting someone to inform her that it was all a mistake any minute now but it never happened. How couldn't he have told her about something like that?

"You honestly believe that he cares more about some little accident than he does about you?"

"He doesn't care about me, he left."

"Oh my god Caroline! How dense can you be? Klaus cares about you and its weird and I can't act like I understand anything of it but you can't keep denying that. You've already told me he never denied being in love with you and you're not hiding back behind your walls."

"I'm not-" Caroline sputtered trying to defend herself.

"You're trying to deny it again and it's frustrating. Yes the guy that likes you has done awful things, but haven't we all? Does that mean we no longer deserve love?" She hadn't planned on shoving Caroline in Klaus direction but she had to believe there were second chances for everyone. She wanted the chance to get a normal life this time and that meant that one day she would find love again. She deserved that, right?

"Of course we do," she just couldn't let herself accept what she felt for Klaus yet. She couldn't deny that she had feelings for him, more than she was willing to admit, but that scared her. He had done awful things and he would keep doing them, he had proven that once again with Tyler. If she was with someone like that, what did that make her? She hated to admit it but Tyler had been right in one thing, Klaus had killed so many people they loved and she had just… forgotten about it.

"But I can't be with Klaus, I can't like him okay, I just can't."

Elena raised an eyebrow at her, "Who said anything about you liking Klaus? I was talking about his feelings for you…"

"Oh," Caroline opened her mouth only to close it again, "Right."

When Katherine had decided to keep playing Elena she hadn't expected to encounter this much teenage drama, she found herself enjoying hearing about other one's problems. They were making it sound so much more complicated than it all was and she was putting together the pieces one by one. Klaus cared about Caroline but the girl cared about him as well, she would just never admit it. Afraid, but of what exactly? She wasn't sure yet but she would get to the bottom of it, if she was going to play Elena forever, then she could at least have some fun with it.

Caroline hadn't dared to speak again, how could she be honest to anyone about what she felt if she couldn't even be honest against herself? She had no idea! That was what she had told herself and what she would continue telling herself. It didn't matter anyway, Klaus was gone again and he wouldn't have helped her, even if she would ask.

It wasn't until the moon had raised high in the sky that she had glanced out of the room again, worry overcame her. She had been with Tyler the first times he had turned and he had been strong, chains hadn't been enough to keep him and that was before he was a hybrid. He would be stronger now and she had no idea what could keep him detained now. She just hoped that he had been smart enough to find a remote place; she hoped that there would be no casualties but she knew better. She would have to call her mother first thing the next morning.

She wanted to make sure that Matt was alright, that he was back in Mystic Falls, safe but she could start herself growing tired. She hadn't felt this tired since the week before and when she tried to lift herself to grab her phone she fell back on her bed. She could see Elena still engrossed in her magazine and tried to call out to her but all that left her mouth was silence. Elena was growing hazy and before she knew it she was overtaken by a familiar heat then, darkness.

...

For a small time she was actually asleep, she hadn't fed that day and she was exhausted and stressed but when she was starting to wake up she never made the shift. It was like she couldn't actually wake up and she knew the feeling by now. There was nothing on the other side this time; she couldn't hear voices around her because there were none. Elena had been the only one with her in the room and she wouldn't have noticed that anything was going on with her. Probably thought that she had dozed off, which she had, but Caroline could feel the truth even though it shouldn't be possible.

She hadn't just dozed off, she felt weak, tired and hungry, if only she could open her eyes and grab a blood bag.

She needed to find a way to inform Elena that she needed help; anything. If she could just shift, move, make any kind of sound… She knew how it had worked the last time she felt this bad, she needed to put all her focus on it, muster her strength and she did, she focused on her side, trying to shift her body to the side and she could feel her muscles cooperate.

She was halfway in the movement when she remembered that she had lied on the edge of her bed, had it been right or left? She wasn't sure if it mattered because it was already too late to change, she could feel herself loose her balance and she was hoping on the feel of her mattress under her body but instead was greeted with air until her body collided with the hard floor.

The sound proved to be enough to alert Katherien from her magazine and she looked up in surprise. "Care? Did you just fall of your bed?" she asked in confusion. Vampire didn't fall from beds, they just didn't.

When she was greeted with silence she looked up at Caroline's body and noticed how the girl hadn't moved. "Caroline?"

Still no reply and Katherine moved from her bed to get a closer look to her. She didn't seem harmed in anyway, just out cold. She tried to shake the girl awake but got no reaction from her. "This is ridiculous," she murmured before she hit slapped Caroline hoping that it would wake her.

It didn't. Caroline could feel the sting on her cheek, the pain that came with the slap but she couldn't reply. Falling of the bed had cost her the last of her strength and she would need a few minutes to reload. Still this didn't make any sense, she felt like she had a week ago but that couldn't be possible.

Katherine didn't gave up though, she noticed that Caroline had started to sweat like she had a fever but at the same time she was shaking from cold. She wasn't sure what could cause something like that but she hoped that some blood would help the girl. She couldn't let Caroline Forbes die, Klaus would kill her for it, in Elena's body or not. Besides, she didn't want the girl to die.

She searched the mini fridge for the stash of blood and grabbed the first she saw, walking over to Caroline and carefully poured some in the girl's mouth. She was swallowing it down eagerly and had quickly finished the whole glass, halfway her eyes had fluttered open and she looked at Elena in bewilderment, "That wasn't possible."

"You getting sick? Yeah it does seem unconventional…" Katherine admitted and put down the glass and noticed Caroline's eyes widen when she noticed what Elena had given her.

"You fed me the blood in that glass?"

Elena nodded at her, "Why?"

"That was Klaus' blood."

"Oh, he left you his blood?" Katherine said in surprise, she knew a lot of spells that needed someone's blood so it could be used against them. For Klaus to leave his with Caroline was a big form of trust and Caroline hadn't even realized it.

"For emergencies yes."

"I didn't mean to waste it…" If she had known she could have used it, or at least saved it for an actual emergency.

Caroline stared in front of her, "You didn't waste it. I needed it."

"Of course you didn't. Caroline you almost died last week, it's normal to be a bit weak after, especially if you feed as little as you do."

"I don't need more," Caroline insisted, "Bloodbags are plenty for me and I've been through this before. This wasn't normal; it was like I was bitten all over. I could feel the venom in my system."

"How?"

"I don't know," Caroline scratched her arm and looked down just in time to see a crescent scar starting to disappear, a shadow of a bite that she couldn't have gotten.

* * *

**So that happened and I'm sure you have plenty of questions but I would love to hear your theories as well!**

**Klaus has his hands full with the witches in New Orleans and yes I'm using that storyline from The Originals but it won't be the same. I think. I don't watch it so I'm going from what I've heard here... But Celeste is my vilain in case that wasnt clear yet.**

**If you have the time, please leave a review, I love to hear you guys thoughts. Oh what do you think of Lyanna? She's my first OC in this story :)**

**I'll update before Friday!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and theories with me, some of you were definitely in the right direction and one was very close!**

**I was supposed to update yesterday and I'm so sorry. It's my youngest sister's birthday tomorrow and I was busy shopping and creating her gift, it kinda took me a lot more time than I had expected. I can only hope this chapter was worth the wait...**

**I have to be honest, this one was harder to write than I expected. I hope it came out the way I intended, but I'll let you be the judge of that :)**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Did you discover anything at all?" Klaus bit out to the little witch and she flinched when he got closer to her. "When I kept you and your brother alive for your services I expected results but you want me to believe that Celeste is up to nothing?"

"I never said that but you gave me one day! Whatever she's up to, she won't tell me and I can't just ask her now can I? She's already suspicious because you stopped taking witches-"  
"Well maybe then I should just keep taking witches, starting by your family," Klaus threatened and she scoffed at him.

"You're already threatening the only one that I have left," Lyanna told him, "There's no one else you can hold over my head."

"Then you should be motivated enough for the task or should I remind you how easy it is to snap your fragile body?" he glanced at her arm that was placed in a sling after his actions of the day before.

"Don't please, just, just give me time. If you want Celeste to trust me, that's not going to happen in a day," she told him while she rubbed over the fabric of her sling. The arm had definitely been broken the day before but luckily one of the witches had managed to speed up the healing process when she told her she fell down the stairs, the same witches she was betraying. She had to stop thinking about that; she had to go with the way that kept her and Andrew alive. If she didn't do this, they were death anyway.

"I'm not one to give second chances, and you're proving to be less useful by the minute," he slammed her against the wall, holding her by her throat and she could feel a decrease of oxygen entering her lungs. She was getting short of breathe and she knew that he would kill her unless she proved her worth quickly.

He was wondering if he should keep her alive, finding a new witch that would be open to betraying Celeste to save her family would be hard to find. But if she was no use to him and he kept her alive she could tell Celeste everything she had told him, it was their advantage and she couldn't cost them that. He added pressure on her throat, "My mother's books," she managed to utter.

He loosened his grip on her to let her speak, "The books contain the spells and information Celeste used. I can find them for you, maybe there's something in there that can help."

"You better find those books quickly, I need answers soon," she could be on to something and having those Grimoires meant that the witches couldn't use them. It was a lead that they should follow until they knew more. He hoped Marcel had more luck in tracking Sabine's moves from the past year.

"Then it's time for you to go before they realize where you ran off to. I expect some useful information soon; I'm not going to be this lenient the next time we meet." At least she would live for another few days but she hoped something would change within them soon. She needed to get out of this situation before it got her killed.

He led her out of his home and froze when he noticed the person behind the door. She still had her fist raised, ready to knock on his door, why? It wasn't like they had parted on the best of terms.

"Caroline."

* * *

Elena had called Stefan after she had told her what she had felt and they had both immediately ganged up on her. New Orleans. No way, no way in hell was she going to "end up on his doorsteps". She wasn't going! She was still mad at him for what he had made Tyler do that night before, she had seen the reports and it was horrible.

Her mother had looked through animal attack reports of the previous night and as expected there were several. The full moon wouldn't affect only Tyler she knew that but hadn't accounted that added problem with her plan. Still there had been one that stood out. Alabama, a man's arm was ripped from his body by a pair of teeth and had found covered in claw marks over its whole body. The rapport stated that they assumed it was a wolf, but they weren't sure since the strength the animal must have used proved to be much higher than those of a regular wolf. Definitely a hybrid and since Tyler was the only one left…

One victim. One man that has suffered because of Tyler's actions, actions that Klaus had forced him into. She knew that Tyler wasn't innocent either, he had done some awful things as of late, but did other people have to suffer because of that? Why couldn't Klaus have just… let it go? It was a stupid question because deep down she knew why, Tyler had harmed her, his actions almost ended in her death and Klaus wouldn't let that one slide. Not even if she asked him to.

She probably should be glad that there had only been one victim, it could have been much worse. Wherever Tyler had hid, it must have been a secluded area, in Alabama as it seemed which brought them closer.

She knew they would have to find him now that they still had a lead but none of her arguments won Stefan and Elena over. They had decided; she was going to New Orleans. She crossed her arms and glared at her friends, "I'm not going to leave everything behind here, there's too much going on!"

"And one of those things going on is you being poisoned by a werewolf in a situation that should be impossible! You're not going to get answers here," Stefan pressed. He was concerned about her well being but if someone would be protecting her it would be Klaus. He wouldn't allow any harm done to her.

"Maybe I overreacted and it wasn't actually werewolf venom…" she tried again but she knew she sounded unconvincing. She knew what she had felt, had felt it too many times before already.

"And that fading scare you saw?"

"Hallucination?" she opted and she knew from Elena's incredulous face that she wasn't convincing anyone. "Okay fine. I admit it is weird and it's freaking me out but whatever happened to me isn't going to get solved in another state. Besides, it might have been a onetime thing."

"And it might not have been," Stefan countered, "And if it's not, you're safe in New Orleans. Klaus would be able to give you the cure if you need it, you don't have any here."

Katherine looked from the sidelines and couldn't understand why Caroline wouldn't jump on the chance to go to New Orleans. Sure she knew that the girl had serious reservations about her actions with Klaus and his last ones hadn't exactly convinced her either but she could be dying and she was willing to leave it to chance only to keep her pride. She could hear Caroline spout the same argument she had used over and over and she was getting sick of it. The girl was stubborn and there would be no convincing her…

Caroline could feel Elena walk over to her, almost interrupting her argument with Stefan but before she could react, her hands were wrapped around her neck and she could feel the familiar sensation of her neck being snapped…

Stefan looked at Elena in shock, "Was that really necessary?"

"She wasn't going to go willingly -you know her- she wouldn't change her mind."  
"But snapping her neck…"

"Means she will be unconscious for at least long enough to get her out of Virginia. Can you pack her bags while I do mine? It seems Caroline and me are going on a road trip."

Katherine smirked while she grabbed some of Elena's clothes; it was all working out for her. She would be in New Orleans, close to Elijah but no longer under a threat of her life. They wouldn't know who she really was and maybe she could get some information of that witch she had met before all her problems started. She needed to know what the Originals had been up to and what exactly happened with Hayley and the so called baby. That wasn't at all what she had expected when she had sent the wolf to New Orleans.

She could start her plans later; first she needed to make sure that Caroline would arrive in New Orleans. She didn't think that she would throw herself out of a driving car but she wouldn't be shocked if Caroline did. Caroline had the tendency to surprise her.

...

Her eyes fluttered open and her hands immediately flew to her neck. It was healed alright but she would never get used to having it snapped, essentially dying, even if it was only for a little while. She couldn't believe that Elena had snapped her neck. Elena! Wasn't her friend supposed to be on her side?  
"Seriously," she muttered and noticed her friend sitting next to her, "What the hell Elena?"

"Oh good, you're awake. Now don't freak out but I had to do this to get you to come with me to New Orleans," Elena said and kept her eyes focused on her in case she made an unexpected move.

"I'm not going to New Orleans," Caroline started again and became aware of her surroundings, "Why are we in a car?"

"Because you wouldn't listen to us. Look Caroline I hate to say it but Stefan is right; you have to go see Klaus because he can help you. He'll keep you safe and can give you his blood if it's necessary."

"I'm not leaving everything behind," Caroline protested, "I have class and-"

"Care, just stop arguing. We're already half way and I'm not going to turn around, so suck it up and stop being stupid."

Caroline knew it was pointless to argue. They weren't going to let her get away with it and a part of her knew they were right not to; they were only looking out for her.

...

She had remained silent the whole way over, staring out of the window and it wasn't until they drove past a "Welcome to New Orleans" sign that she turned back to Elena. "What are we even going to tell him?" she didn't need to explain who she was talking about. Elena knew.

"We tell him what happened to you. He might now a witch here that can help; there are a lot of powerful witches in New Orleans."

She looked up at that, "How do you know that?"

Elena looked away for a moment before she answered, "Well New Orleans is known for its supernatural population. Stefan mentioned it before we left."

"Oh," Caroline looked back out of the window, "I must have missed that while I was unconscious," she said sharply.

"Look Care, I didn't snap your neck because it seemed fun. It was the only way to get you to come with and when Klaus hears about it I'm sure he'll finds something enjoyable to make me regret it."

"He wouldn't. I wouldn't let him hurt you," Caroline stated and Elena looked at her oddly. "What! I wouldn't!"

"You think he would listen to you?"

"He has before."

Katherine couldn't deny that Caroline wasn't right. The young vampire seemed to have changed Klaus mind more than once and she would have to thread their relationship carefully. If Klaus discovered that she was plotting behind his back it wouldn't matter which body she was in, no one could save her from his wrath.

She quickly followed the road, entering the French Quarter and driving toward their old estate. Even after all those years she still knew the way, it was like it hadn't changed over the years. She noticed Caroline taking it all in, she knew she had never really seen much and all the culture and music going on the streets must be a lot to take in. Add with that the vampires lurking over the roofs, it was definitely a different scenery than Mystic Falls. She liked it.

Elena parked the car and Caroline quickly exited, looking around and noticing how there were people hidden in the shadows. It seemed like they were observing, searching for something but when she looked at one of them he disappeared immediately. Vampires. Elena had been right; the supernatural was definitely present here. Not a big surprise, why else would the Originals move here?

"Klaus lives there," Katherine pointed to a large mansion in the centre, it had a huge patio and it was nothing like their mansion in Mystic Falls, she wondered how Elena knew where they lived… Had Stefan told her that as well?

Caroline walked over to the door; they had decided it was best if she knocked before Elena would join them. How was she going to explain this…? She raised her hand, ready to knock but at the same time hesitant to actually do it. It wavered there for a few seconds until the door opened and behind it two people appeared.

"Caroline."

"Klaus," she said unsure on how to continue. The girl next to him looked at them with interest. She couldn't have been much older than she was but what was she doing with Klaus? She wasn't a vampire that much she could tell.

"Lyanna, I will hear from you soon," Klaus told the girl, dismissing her completely. The girl quickly passed by her and walked away leaving her with Klaus in the door opening.

"Please come in," he told her and she followed him inside. "What are you doing in New Orleans love; this isn't a good time for a visit."

"I'm not here for a visit," she glared at him, "Not after what you did in Mystic Falls. I'm here because-"

"Because she was sick last night, werewolf bite," Elena explained and walked in, making her presence known.

Klaus looked up in surprise by her presence but focused on what she said, "You got bitten?" he asked Caroline concerned and wondered which werewolf could be responsible.

"No I wasn't…" she tried to explain to Klaus what had happened to her and he listened without interruptions. When she finished she turned back to him before he could react, "What did you mean when you said this isn't a good time?"

Klaus sighed, "There's a war brewing between the vampires and the witches, between my family and one witch in particular to be specific. It's not safe here." Not for anyone close to him.

She sighed when she heard his explanations, "More enemies, of course. What have you done this time?" She hadn't meant it like that but she was still angry at him, she wasn't going to sugarcoat her words for him.

Klaus glowered at her, "I didn't start this one. She did." Granted, he might have been responsible for Celeste's death all those years ago but that was no cause for a war.

"What did she do?" Caroline asked, Klaus didn't get angry with her often but she could tell that she had touched a sensitive subject. Why?  
"It's not important but it's the reason why you can't be with you. If she learns about your existence she will use you against me. I'm not allowing you to get harmed."

"It's not on you to protect me. I can protect myself just fine, thank you very much. I've survived Mystic Falls."

"This isn't Mystic Falls," Klaus argued.

"Besides," Katherine interjected, "Technically you did die in Mystic Falls…" she remembered killing Caroline in that hospital all that time ago. She was supposed to be a sacrifice for Klaus and here she was, still alive and being able to get help from that same person.

Caroline waved Elena's argument away, "Doesn't count, Katherine did that only to turn me, besides I'm better off like this."

"You're still not staying here, I can give you more of my blood but-" Klaus told her until she interrupted.

"So you're sending me away?" Caroline countered, "Okay, let's go Elena," she turned around and left the house.

Klaus looked at her in surprise, he hadn't expected her to give up this easily but he shouldn't have been shocked. She was still angry with him over Tyler, he could feel it and he hated how she couldn't understand that he wouldn't condone those actions against her. Tyler deserved to suffer.

"Well thank you for that, do you have any idea how hard it was to actually get her here?" Elena exclaimed, this had been a great waste of time alright.

Klaus looked at the doppelganger in surprise, "I can't help."

"Well if you can't, then who can?" she left the house following Caroline and hoped that Klaus would take the bait. He wanted to protect Caroline, she knew that much, that instinct should weigh out his fears.

After what Celeste had pulled with the baby he knew it wouldn't be wise to keep something here that he cared about but Elena was right. Caroline needed his help and he could never truly deny her.

"How bad was it?" he asked Elena stopping her in her exit.

"It was the same as with Tyler, she even noticed a bite mark but it was gone before she could show it to me."

He wasn't going to let Caroline leave. He couldn't let her and he didn't want her to, not truly. "Get her back inside; we have more people to talk to first."

Katherine smirked and walked over to Caroline, "We're staying," she stated.

* * *

**And they're finaly all in New Orleans! I know Klaus would probably want Caroline to stay and he still does but he also doesn't want her in anymore danger after what he has just find out. It's still very fresh.**

**Now the next chapter will contain all the Originals discussing Caroline's and "Elena's" stay, Marcel should also make an appearance and Katherine seeks out an old aquintance.**

**I'll try to update in a few more days, a week tops. Let me now what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry, this chapter was due a few days ago but trust me, you don't want a chapter written while I'm sick and sleep deprived. So I waited a few days and I actually like this chapter! I can only hope you guys feel the same! **

**Thank you to everyone that read, reviewed, favorited or followed after the last chapter; you guys keep me writing! Also if you still watch The Vampire Diaries, I know they killed Katherine off and send her off to some hell dimension... I'm not planning to take that direction. Moments on the show like that makes me very grateful that this is AU from before that happened. Katherine is too fun to kill off :)**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"So… what? He changes his mind and expects me to do what he wants? No! It doesn't work like that! I don't want to be here and he clearly doesn't want me to be so why should I stay?" Caroline exclaimed and Katherine felt herself starting to lose patience with the girl. Why was she so headstrong? She had Klaus wrapped around her little finger and she wasn't even aware of all the power that that gave her.

"Maybe you should stay because if you don't, you die! Remember the venom in your system last night!" Katherine pointed out while she crossed her arms, "Besides Klaus is sending you away because it's not safe her, don't tell me you're not the least bit curious about what's going on."

"Why should I care about what sort of trouble Klaus got himself in this time?" Caroline countered and Katherine chuckled at her defiance.

"Really? You're going for the whole denial act again? Just go inside with me and here what they have to say…"

"They?" she wondered who Elena had meant with that.

"Yeah Klaus mentioned something about having to talk to other people… Come on, what's the worst that can happen?"

She raised her eyebrow at Elena, "Impending death and torture for both of us?" she offered but knew that that wasn't in the cards for them. Not if Klaus had anything to say about it.

"Cheer up Care, we're in New Orleans, take a look around and tell me you're not happy to be out of Mystic Falls."

Caroline looked at her surroundings, the old city buzzing with life, how vampires managed to stay hidden in a town like this she would never know but she couldn't deny that she didn't want to explore the place more, "Okay fine, let's go back," she linked her arm with Elena's and together they walked back into the house, only to be greeted with a shouting match.

"When I call for you, you should be here Rebekah. No need to make a fuss about it!" they could hear Klaus shout at his sister.

"I was tracking a witch friend of Sabine, being inconspicuous gets quite difficult when someone keeps calling until you pick up the damn phone!"

"This is more important, I'm waiting on Elijah but there's a matter we need to discuss."

"More important than Celeste?" Katherine looked up at the name, it sounded familiar but she had encountered more than one person with that name over the years.

Next to her, Caroline looked annoyed at the childish display of the two oldest people alive, she entered the room and crossed her arms with a scolding look, "Some things really don't change do they?" she commented and the two Originals turned to her.

Rebekah looked surprised at the sight of her but then it dawned to her why Klaus had called her away, she chuckled bitterly and shook her head in disbelief, "No some things really don't change," she said. "You called me here because Caroline decided to visit?" she noticed another figure standing in the threshold, "And Elena is joining us as well. How very important indeed," she mockingly told her brother.

"Nice to see you too Rebekah," Caroline told her and turned back to Klaus, "Elena said you wanted to talk."

"We're waiting on Elijah, I send Diego to collect him," Klaus explained to her and she nodded automatically, not knowing anyone by the name of Diego.

Caroline had never really met Elijah, she had heard about the vampire when he had first gotten into town and had seen him in passing during the Mikaelson ball but when all plans that involved Elijah went down… she was always left out. "So should we wait here or are you still sending me back to Mystic Falls because if you do, I rather leave now and avoid traffic."

He smiled at her and she tried to ignore the feeling that it gave her deep down when she saw one of those little smiles that she him see only give her, "I intend to keep you safe love, and right now it appears that leaving New Orleans wouldn't be much safer for you than staying."

"So I'm in danger wherever I go?" she countered and exhausted fell back on his futon, why did this always happen to her?

Klaus could hear something in the tone of her voice, she wasn't enjoying this outcome but it was more than that, Caroline was independent and she would hate to be put in place of weakness. This… predicament that she was in put her in just that. He flashed forward and kneeled before her grabbing her hand, "Trust me Caroline, I will keep you safe here," he caressed the soft skin of her hand and was reminded of the last time he had his hands on her. He had to remind himself that that wasn't why she was here, she needed his help and there were bigger worries.

"I don't want to be kept safe," she told him honestly, she unconsciously leaned forward in his touch while their eye contact remained, "I want to be able to take care of myself," she confessed to him.

"I can show you," he whispered, "I can teach you how," he moved closer and gently cupped her face in his hand. He caught the movement and corrected himself; he shouldn't be touching her like she was his because she wasn't yet. He moved his hand up and tucked a loose curl behind her ear, before he released her and stood upright, their spell broken. "I mean if you're staying here, it might be better if you could defend yourself properly; our opponents here are quite more vicious than what you faced in Mystic Falls."

"Worse than you?" Caroline whispered and caught his eyes again, she wasn't sure what it was with his hot and cold behavior but she was determined to find out. First he sends her away, than wants her to stay and now… teach her self-defense?

He looked hurt by her implication that she still saw him as an opponent, one of the worse even, but he hid it fast. If Caroline was to stay in New Orleans no one should know about her importance to him and he couldn't show any weakness to her comments. He could still see her reason, they were the Original Vampires and there shouldn't be a bigger danger than them. They had just gone easy in Mystic Falls; they had grown attached to the life, some of the people…"Yes she is much worse, because she will go for any means necessary to eradicate us of this earth, which means-"

"Which means your bloodline will die, we'll all die," Caroline breathed out in realization. That couldn't happen, Klaus couldn't be killed and they all knew that but if he saw this witch as a genuine threat she must have done something… But what? Klaus seemed to avoid the topic at any cost, "Okay so how do we stop her?"

Rebekah laughed and the two became aware of the audience that they had around them during their conversation, "We? You think you can be of any help for us? The only thing you were good at in Mystic Falls was being the 'blonde distraction' and even that only worked on Klaus."

She couldn't exactly deny it because yes, that was the only thing they allowed her to do in their plans but how was she ever going to change that if no one gave her the chance? She could do more than were a low-cut shirt and keep Klaus busy.

"Rebekah enough," a low voice spoke and Caroline realize that their audience had grown as well. Next to Elena stood a man in a crisp suit, she could only assume that this was Elijah, next to him was another man with a charismatic smile on his face but Caroline could sense that there was more to him than that. The way he was looking at her, his eyes going between her and Klaus, there was something calculative behind it, as if he was trying to place her.

Katherine looked over at Elijah standing so close and she needed to remember to stay in character. She couldn't slip up, couldn't crumble under the way his eyes focused on hers; realizing who he was standing next to for the very first time. "Elena, what business do you have in New Orleans?" he asked and she smiled at him, she wanted to flirt, but if anyone knew her he did. She couldn't act like herself right now, not before she convinced him she was Elena.

"Caroline needs your brother's help, I came along to ensure she would actually go," she explained to him and let out a breath of relief when his eyes went from her to Caroline who was now trying to avoid looking at Klaus. She had to admit, seeing Caroline and Klaus interact had been wildly interesting. There was something about the baby vampire that had made him forget about his surroundings and just… be him with her. She could see why Caroline was supposed to be his 'distraction'.

"Caroline Forbes?" Elijah asked and walked towards her, "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Elijah Mikaelson," he held out his hand to her and Caroline silently shook it, surprised at the formality.

"I know who you are," she just replied and looked at the man in the corner of the room, "You I don't know," she pointed out and the man laughed at her forwardness.

"Marcel, it's a pleasure to meet you," he grabbed her hand, placing a kiss on them and she could feel the cold stares of Klaus and Rebekah in her back.

"Marcel is an old family friend," Elijah explained when he stepped back and she nodded at the explanation. "So what are you here for Caroline?"

"I-" she paused, unsure of how to explain her predicament or her reason for asking Klaus' help, she doubted that was a daily occurrence, the best she could think of was explaining her predicament. "Well after Klaus healed me from the hybrid bite last week I had a… well a relapse last night. I could feel the venom in my system again and Elena luckily fed me some of the blood that Klaus had left behind," this caused some raised eyebrows from the new audience, only Rebekah had been aware of Klaus interest in Caroline but had no knowledge of the blood he had left for her, "But my friends seemed to fear that it will happen again and sort of insisted that I went here," she shot a glare at her friend, remembering how that insistence ended.

"A relapse? How interesting," Elijah said and Caroline scoffed, interesting? Well that was one way to call it. "This is highly unusual, are you confident it was the venom of a werewolf bite in your system?"

"Since this is the fourth time in little over a year that I've felt the effects of it… yeah I'm quite sure," Caroline answered annoyed at the fact that her judgment was being questioned. She knew Elijah hadn't meant it like that but if there was one thing she was growing far too knowledgeable about; it was the way her body reacted to the venom of a hybrid or werewolf.

"Four times?" Elijah asked surprised and he and Marcel glanced over at Klaus, why would his brother care about the survival of a baby vampire to provide her with his blood, not once but repeatedly.

"Yeah I've had some bad luck with hybrids," she said shooting a glare at Klaus since he had been responsible for at least one of them.

"I've only bit you once love, the other ones are accountable to your ex-boyfriend," she scoffed at his defense, but it didn't matter. It was all in the past and she had forgiven him for that a long time ago. She hadn't even realized she had, she just… wasn't mad at him for it either. She could understand it now, she had provoked him, hurt him and the matter wasn't made better by the fact that she was doing so while standing in a room with the burned corpse of his brother. Things where so different back then, she was still covering it all up back then; hiding.

"Either way, Stefan and Elena decided New Orleans would be saver for me if this would happen again, with Klaus around in case I need his blood," Caroline finished her story and looked around for a reaction, when she didn't get any she decided her question needed to be answered as well "Now what I want to know is, why did you insist that I leave? Something about New Orleans not being safe right now?"

"I already told you, there's a war with the witches brewing," Klaus replied and Caroline resisted the urge to hit him. Was that really all he was going to tell her?

"Do you honestly want me to believe that the scary Hybrid fears for my safety because of the threats of mere witches? No! There's more to it and you're going to tell me," she demanded, she rose from her chair and jabbed her finger in his chest.

Rebekah chuckled at her display and shrugged, "She's right; if she's staying here she's going to find out anyway."

Caroline turned to Rebekah, unsure about her support but grateful nonetheless, "Thank you Rebekah," she turned back towards Klaus, "Now what has this witch done for you to perceive her as a genuine threat?

"She spelled Hayley," Klaus explained and Caroline cringed at the mentioning of the woman carrying his child. She hadn't forgotten how he had failed to mention that little thing while he caressed her skin with kisses in the woods.

"She spelled- She spelled Hayley… Okay so how exactly? Is this why Hayley left?" she wasn't sure how Klaus would feel about her departure since he had never told her about any of it. Was he glad she was gone, sad? She knew he acted like he didn't care when Tyler confronted him but Klaus wasn't one to show his true emotions so what was it? She hated not being able to pinpoint what he felt; she was too accustomed to being right most of the times.

"No it was because she had left that we discovered it," Elijah explained, taking over for Klaus momentarily.

"I don't get it, why would a witch spell Hayley?"

"We think the spell was meant for us, to take something away from us but we don't know enough yet. It's what we're trying to find out," Elijah told her and she repeated the words in her brain, taking something away, Hayley…

"Please tell me that she didn't kill a fetus," Caroline pleaded, she might not have liked the wolf but she didn't wish ill on any unborn child. Elijah shook his head and she released a breath she was unaware she had been holding.

"No there was never a baby," Klaus finally said and Caroline looked up perplexed. Was she hearing this right? Hadn't she heard about this baby merely a week ago and now they were saying it was never there? "Celeste cursed the girl to make it appear that she was with my child while she was not."

"Oh," Caroline stammered and looked at him unsurely, what did you say in a situation like this? It wasn't like this was an unconventional pregnancy debacle, "I'm sorry?" she said hesitant hoping that it was the right thing to say. She could tell Klaus wasn't happy about the matter but she couldn't tell if it affected him enough to be unhappy about it either.

"Wow that sounded very genuine Caroline, thank you for your compassion," Rebekah sneered and Caroline glared at her.

"Really? Sorry that I have no idea how to react," she turned her glare to Klaus, "It wasn't like you actually told me about the pregnancy in the first place. I don't know if you wanted this kid, if that's why you're mad at the witch or that it is because she misled you," she threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "I don't know anything about it, because you!" she paused after every word, "Didn't. Tell. Me!"

"It wasn't of your concern Caroline, it didn't change anything!"

"It didn't-" she let her head drop in her hands, "Can't you see what a change in your life this would have been but you didn't even bother telling me. If Tyler hadn't told me, would I've known?" when he shook his head she nodded, "That's what I thought."

He couldn't understand her anger, couldn't she understand that he never told her because he didn't deemed it important for her to know. It wouldn't change what he felt about her or her role in his future; or his in hers. All the times he had seen her after he knew about Hayley; graduation, Katherine's death and the Tyler thing, he hadn't wanted to ruin those encounters by bringing up his past mistakes. His time with her had already been so fleeting and he hadn't expected to see her after all of them for many years to come. He had always known she wouldn't end up on his doorstep in mere years, Caroline had so much to explore in life, embrace being a vampire and revel in her power before she would be ready to join him.

"It doesn't matter, I get it. You didn't trust me enough to tell me, I don't know why I was expecting anything else," Caroline muttered before she left the room, she walked past Elena and could feel her hand on her shoulder, trying to stop her but she shook it off. She needed some space for a moment, clear her mind. Being this close with Klaus had rattled her, he still had an effect on her and she couldn't deny it.

She leaned against the car, kicking the tire in frustration; she couldn't believe she had lost it like that in a room full of witnesses. She suddenly realized that that had never happened; they never had an audience for their encounters. Sure Stefan had been present once or twice but this was different, it was more loaded and she couldn't understand why she couldn't shut it out again; shut him out.

"So is it always like that?" Elena asked while walking towards her, she must have looked confused because she immediately clarified, "You and Klaus, this into each other?"

Caroline could feel a heat rush up to her cheeks and chewed down on her lip, "No, not always," she muttered.

"But he allows you to speak like that to him," Elena asked bewildered, just because she knew Klaus cared for her, didn't mean she had expected him to let Caroline treat him like this. He hadn't even made an attempt to quiet her; instead he had observed the girl as if she was the most unique thing out there. Maybe she was.

"Like what?" she hadn't done anything different than she usually did, she had just focused on her anger a bit more this time…

"Sorry, I'm just surprised he didn't snap your neck."

"He wouldn't do that," Caroline stated and when Elena looked at her questionably she remained by her stand, "He wouldn't."

* * *

"So they'll be staying with us in New Orleans?" Marcel asked when both girls had left the house.

"Yes and I need you to appoint some of our best daywalkers, if Caroline is staying she'll need protection," Klaus turned towards his brother who appeared to be lost in thought.

"Is it wise to waste those resources on babysitting Caroline? Aren't they better used to observe the witches instead? I'm sure if Caroline runs into some trouble she can handle herself," Elijah pointed out and Klaus snarled at him.

"If Caroline leaves this premises I want someone to ensure her safety, I don't want Celeste getting her hands on her, so yes, those daywalkers are required," he stated final before he left the room as well, ensuring that there were rooms made available for their new guests.

"Who is this girl?" Marcel asked, astonished at the power she seemed to yield over Klaus without even appearing to try.

Elijah couldn't answer but was intrigued as well, he had heard stories about Caroline and had seen her in Mystic Falls but he hadn't been aware that there was anything between her and his brother but still… what they had just witnessed, it was almost a lovers' quarrel.

"That's Caroline, the girl Klaus was obsessed with in Mystic Falls," Rebekah explained and Elijah remembered Klaus mentioning how he had gone after Tyler Lockwood's girlfriend, maybe there was more to it than just that. Was it possible that Klaus cared for the girl? He certainly was acting like he did.

"So is she a threat?" Marcel asked, "From what we saw I don't expect her to follow Klaus' wishes."

Rebekah chuckled at the thought of Caroline as a threat, "No she's harmless, a baby vampire, just a very stubborn one."

Marcel was surprised at that, a vampire that young daring to talk to an Original like that and surviving? With daylight ring at all, whoever this Caroline was, she definitely proved to be interesting.

* * *

**Writing this made me realize that Klaus and Caroline never had anyone witnessing their interactions and well, they definitely had an interesting audience this time. But they're staying and more focus on the witches in the next chapter as well. Oh and before I get the question, no I'm not planning on turning Marcel evil or anything of that sort, but to be honest if you would see Klaus and Caroline bicker, you would be interested about the baby vampire as well :)**

**If anyone has any questions or thoughts they want to share, I almost always respond to reviews and you can always send me a PM as well. I don't bite, not fatally at least. (wow that was bad... sorry)**

**Now I'm gone, I will be back somewhere next week and just... I don't know, tell me what you think? :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter and two things before I start...**

**First off: I can't believe this story has over 500 followers! Thank you, you have no idea how much it means to me to see people enjoying this story. Every time I get a mail from fanfiction, whether it's because of a favorite, a follower or a review, I get a huge smile on my face. I love writing and I would always continue but seeing people enjoy reading it means a lot. So thank you! Not only to those that followed, but also to everyone that puts up with me :)**

**Secondly this chapter is experimental in a way because I changed my writing habit a bit. I tried to make the chapter longer and instead of having 3-5 chapters to describe one day, make it one long one. Well that failed but now this one is only two chapters, we call that progress! No seriously this is the longest chapter I've written thus far but I want to continue this way, make chapters a bit longer. (I hope you guys don't mind :P)**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Waking up in another room, another bed, always threw her off for a moment. The moment that she wakened she needed a moment to realize where she was and then it all came back. This was her room, for now at least, until they fixed her.

When she and Elena entered the house again Klaus had left, she had no idea where he had run off to and she hadn't asked. Why should she have? It wasn't like she cared… Okay maybe she had wanted to know but that was just healthy curiosity, nothing wrong with that. Still, before he had left he had informed Elijah of their sleeping arrangements. Elena and her wouldn't need to share a room which she didn't mind, after sharing a room with Elena and Bonnie for a few months she really appreciated the privacy of an own room.

But when Elijah showed them their rooms she realized she wasn't even close to Elena's, the girl slept on the other side of the house, opposite to Elijah's room. From the belongings that were still in the room, she assumed it had been Hayley's room before she had run off. Why her room would be close to Elijah's instead of Klaus' she didn't understand but then again, Klaus did say he never cared for the girl and she believed him.

The room that she had gotten was large with a beautiful wooden queen sized bed, the bed frame was carved with a flower pattern at the side and she was sure it was as old as it looked. The room was more beautiful than the one that Elena had gotten and it was noticeably in the differences even Elena had pointed it out when she saw her room. Elena's room looked like a guest bedroom, while hers… it looked like a place to stay.

Her stomach growled and she knew she needed some food and blood in her system, she could only hope that Elena hadn't forgotten to pack the blood bags in her hurry, somehow she doubted the Mikaelsons had some lying around.

* * *

"No really she didn't want to go so I had to snap her neck just to get her in the car," Katherine explained and laughed at the memory, five hundred years of experience and she hadn't been able to convince a nineteen year old girl to go to New Orleans to save her own life. Stubborn little wench.

"Why was it she refused?" Elijah asked, it's what he had been doing ever since Elena had entered the room, he had inquired about her life and how she had been doing since her humanity had returned but soon after had moved on to asking about Caroline. Katherine would have been jealous if she wasn't thankful that at least he wasn't asking about Elena anymore. She didn't know everything that Elena had been up to, neither what Caroline had been up to with the Originals but most of that had apparently been secretive even to Elena.

"Isn't it obvious? She didn't want to see your brother. She was mad at him for compelling Tyler and she's nothing if not stubborn."

"What is it exactly between my brother and her?" he finally asked.

"Don't we all want to know," Katherine told him and let out a chuckle, "Caroline doesn't talk much about it, at least nothing concrete. All that I know is that she's not as unaffected with him as she wants to be."

"She cares for him?" Elijah asked and a cough interrupted him. A glowering blonde was leaning against the door, shooting daggers at her friend.

"Gossiping about me?" Caroline said and walked past them, grabbing some crackers that lay on the counter. She had heard the final part of their conversation and she couldn't believe that now, she had another Original brother asking around about her. She understood Elijah's desire to know more about their houseguest, especially after the spectacle between her and Klaus yesterday, but what she couldn't understand was Elena telling him everything she knew.

She took a bite of her cracker and turned back to Elijah, "If there's something you want to ask, you can do that to me. What I confide in Elena is between us," she emphasized and glanced at her friend who didn't look that guilty.

Elijah looked at the blonde, surprised at her demanding voice. He hadn't meant to talk about her behind her back, he had only wanted to collect more information and with Caroline still asleep, Elena had been the closest source of information available. "Okay then maybe you could explain to me what the state of your relationship with my brother is."

Caroline looked dumbfounded at the direct question, "I- I'm not in a relationship with your brother," she sputtered.

"You know I think denial kinda became pointless after you two bickered like an old married couple," Elena pointed out to her and Caroline rolled her eyes in return.

"We did not-"

"Yes you did, but don't worry, I learn quickly. There is no use trying to convince you when you're stuck in denial," Katherine told her and walked out of the room.

"I'm not-"

"Denial!" Katherine singsonged before she walked back to her room. Elijah's eyes followed her until she was out of sight and when she was he turned back towards Caroline.

"So you and my brother-"

"Why are you so interested in Klaus and me?" Caroline asked and leaned forwards over the table.

"I just want to help my family get united again," Elijah explained and she could hear something wishful about his town. As if he did no longer believe it was actually possible but didn't want to lose hope either. She couldn't imagine what happened in New Orleans to make a thousand year old goal crumble but she feared it wasn't good.

"That's admirable but what makes you think that they want your help? Klaus isn't the most trustful person and Rebekah just wants to live her life her own way."

"You seem to know a lot about my siblings," Elijah observed and he wondered why he hadn't heard more about the girl in front of him.

"I don't, I just pay attention from time to time. It's not like Rebekah hasn't been making her wishes abundantly clear when she searched for the cure, or when she left to travel with Matt," she has been practically screaming her wishes and her brothers hadn't listened to her… but still she had end up with them in New Orleans. They might be dysfunctional as hell but they were still a family, and then there was Klaus… "And Klaus being distrustful isn't really a well kept secret either. I doubt there is anyone he really trusts."

"He trusts you?" Elijah asked, the way the girl had been talking to his brother the day before made him suspect it but he had little to go off. For now at least.

Caroline thought about the question for a moment, she doubted Klaus trusted her but he wasn't as suspicious about her as he treated others either. Besides he seemed to know exactly when she was around to distract him, he just let her. It was almost like he didn't care why she spend time with him, just that she was there, "Sometimes, I think he trusts me sometimes," she finally answered.

"And you, do you trust my brother?" Elijah asked and Caroline blanked at the question. When she had entered and called out Elena for talking about her she hadn't expected to answer Elijah's questions. She had to give him that, he knew exactly which questions to ask, the ones she didn't even knew how to answer…

"I don't know," she honestly answered, "I think I do, I know he would never purposely hurt me but then again I'm also aware of everything he has done in his past and will keep doing in his future. You can't change something like that… So I don't know," she said lost in thought. Did she trust Klaus? She was here for his help and she couldn't even answer the question completely. But she knew that wasn't true, she did trust him. But what kind of person did it make her for trusting a person that had hurt so many of her friends?

She thought back to Elijah's reason for questioning her, uniting his family. "Why are you telling me any of this? I mean your plans for your family."

"Because I believe you could help me."

She scoffed at that, "Haven't you heard your sister, I'm of no use. I'm not important."

"You bring out something in my brother I haven't seen in centuries. He cares for you and that makes you very important."

"Like Katherine was to you?" Caroline retorted, hoping to get out of the questions, "I mean you did love her right? But when she died, your siblings returned but you, the one that was supposed to care was absent. Why was that?"

Elijah looked down at the memory of Katerina's death. He hadn't heard about it until his siblings had already left the state and he had been unable to leave Hayley in the witches' custody. At the same time he could have visited if he had wanted to, but seeing her again, after the way they broke it off… "It's very hard to have lost someone, to get it back, only to witness losing her again. Seeing someone you care for die isn't something I wanted to go through again."

"So you let her die alone? She was in the presence of people that all had their reasons to hate her, it seems like a cruel way to let her go."

"I never said that I was perfect," Elijah apologized and Caroline nodded.

"I never said you were, Katherine just deserved a better way to die. She had just found her daughter… or well she found her and I believe she was changing. Being human at all it did change her."

"I thought you said she was surrounded by people that hated her, still you don't sound like you did," Elijah said unsure, the way the blonde spoke almost seemed sad but after what Katherine had put them through he couldn't blame them for not being sad by her departure.

"I said we all had a reason to, that doesn't mean I enjoyed watching her die or that she deserved to die like that. I mean even Klaus came to gloat over her death, sure he let her die in peace but the intent was there. Dying is bad enough as it is, no need to rub it in," she repeated the words she had told Klaus.

"Klaus didn't end up seeing Katerina die? I thought he had, he came back in a very good mood…"

Caroline turned red at his words, she knew exactly why Klaus would be in a good mood and that wasn't something she was going to discuss with his brother. She coughed up the bite of cracker she had taken and quickly took a sip of water.

Elijah looked at her in suspicious but let it go as he didn't see the blonde as a threat, she was too innocent.

"You don't happen to know if there are any blood bags do you?" she asked, changing the subject, "I'm getting a bit thirsty and I'm not sure if Elena thought about packing them in her hurry."

Elijah opened the fridge and tossed her a bag, Elena had stored them earlier already. It had been weird seeing the girl again with her humanity restored, there was something different about her but that was to be expected. No one returned to their former self after the loss of humanity. It had been hard seeing her again the face that resembled his lost love, a love that would never be returned to him.

* * *

Katherine had needed to get out of the house, to be this close to Elijah without him realizing it… it was hurting her more than she could let on. She was supposed to have no reason to be hurt and she had found herself craving an escape. Luckily if there was one thing that New Orleans was a great place for, it was shopping. Well it was a great hunting place as well but unfortunately little Elena Gilbert was still very stuck on her refrigerated meals. That meant no hunting for her either unless she wanted Caroline to plan an intervention for her blood bag eating friend.

Caroline… Elijah had been so interested in her which was a positive turn of events, it gave her a reason to talk to him but they were busted by the little blonde herself and she was sure that telling each other's secrets wasn't something friends were supposed to do. She hadn't cared though, she had an opportunity to talk to Elijah, to catch his interest and she had to exploit whatever she had.

But no she was running again, not far, but still too far from Elijah. She just had to get air, the house felt restricting. The whole night she had been highly aware that her former lover was only a door away and worse than that she had discovered that the room she slept in was Hayley's. Apparently something had been going on between her and Elijah as well and she was regretting sending the girl to New Orleans more with every minute.

Still, she had friends here, if it was needed she could play both sides but she didn't want to play that card until it was getting heated for her. She had a good thing going on, no Klaus hunting her down, no witches or old enemies and she could have a fresh start with Elijah, all she needed to do was to keep her head down.

Shopping was a great outlet at times but unfortunately her style differed a lot with the one of Elena. She noticed a pair of black killer heels that she would kill for but knew that Elena would never wear them. Still that didn't stop her from buying them, styles changed and she wasn't going to stop Elena from letting her be who she wanted to be.

She glanced over at the mirror and could see the girl turn around and look through a rack of clothes. This was the third store she had followed her in and Katherine knew when she was being tracked. But why? And more importantly, by who? No one should have a reason to follow Elena Gilbert.

She sneaked out the store and waited behind the door until the girl exited. She grabbed her by the throat and flashed to the alley next to the store, "Why are you following me," she hissed at the girl, and released her to answer.

"I saw you yesterday with Klaus, I need you to give him a warning," the girl quickly told her, she looked around to make sure there where no witnesses.

"Do I look like a messenger to you?" Katherine shot out glaring at the girl. Now that the girl mentioned she did remember seeing her leave when she and Caroline got into the house but that didn't answer why she was following her just to pass a message along.

"The witches can't see me talking to any of them or they'll grow suspicious but tell Klaus I've overheard Celeste talking about a girl that arrived in New Orleans. She's essential to her plans," Lyanna explained and looked around the alley, she got nervous talking in the open about their business. "Tell him that I will keep in listening and look for the books but he needs to give me the time and space to get closer to Celeste. She isn't going to drop her guards overnight."

"You're on our side," Katherine took in the girl with a newfound interest, why would a witch betray her kind, to the Originals from all people.

"I'm on the side that can keep my brother and me alive. Now can you pass along the message to Klaus?"

"I'll tell him but I doubt Celeste is his priority right now, he has different problems to worry about."

"I don't care, as long as he stays away from my little brother," Lyanna said and walked away, before she left the alley she turned around, "Thank you," she said before she ran off.

Katherine looked at the young girl leaving, the one willing to betray her kind to save her brother and her own life. It reminded her of who she had once been, the life that had brought her nothing but misery. This girl was different, she didn't do it to save her own life alone, also the one of a sibling… how different would her own life had been if she had managed to save her little sister, or have Nadia with her while she was on the run. Anyone, just to have a family on her own…

She needed to speak to Nadia, leaving her behind in Mystic Falls like that… she might think she had changed but underneath it all she hadn't. She still looked out for her own interest first, hadn't even considered taking her daughter, calling her to say goodbye. Too focused on the chance to go to New Orleans and see Elijah and everything had been forgotten. She couldn't keep doing that. Her own interest mattered yes, but so did her daughter's and New Orleans might not be a safe place for Nadia to be, being a Petrova and all, the least she could do was call and explain.

* * *

Caroline had locked herself up in one of the studies and had grown accustomed to the sound of the printer. Her mother had mailed her the files of all the animal attacks that she had given her earlier. She had been surprised by her daughter's request until Caroline explained that she had joined Elena on an unexpected trip and had forgotten all the files and information.

She couldn't really explain to her mother where she had gone or why but in the end she had chalked it all up to searching for Tyler. As a sheriff, Liz could understand how the situation with Tyler couldn't be solved by human authorities and she appreciated Caroline's concern for the boy. She did try to convince her to stay in college but Caroline pointed out how she would have a lifetime for it, what were a few lost months?

In the end it was better to lie than having to explain that she might only have a few months left. If she got sick again that is and if they didn't find the cause…It wasn't like she could stay with Klaus forever…

She glanced over at the stack of papers she had already collected. In the end her mother hadn't only send her the reports that she had already read, but also new ones she had collected over the day. Caroline wasn't sure what had possessed her to ask, she was already quite certain that the one in Alabama was where Tyler had been. She had a feeling about it that she couldn't shake and she hated how she couldn't search for him. It wasn't like she could let Matt do it alone either… He was human and it could get dangerous. It was bad enough that she had send him off questioning werewolf packs; she didn't want to risk his life any further.

She could hear the door creek but ignored the sound. Over the day multiple vampires had come 'checking' if she was okay, she figured they could care less if she was but Klaus had given them an order and they just had to comply because: "King". She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that that was still a thing but with Klaus Mikaelson she shouldn't be surprised. If anyone would want to be king, it would be him. And really, who could challenge him to do otherwise?

Either way the minions had been checking up on her, opening a door every now and then, glancing inside if she was still breathing and leaving right away again. She wasn't sure about their precise orders; it felt more like they were checking if she was still there… She wouldn't be surprised if that had been Klaus' order though: Make sure she stays in the house. Well it wasn't like she had a choice in the matter, she couldn't leave.

She bowed back over the map and looked at her system. Right now she had colored all area's that had a sighting or attack of a wolf last night yellow. Only the area in Alabama had been colored red, for Tyler. She looked back at the map and she hated how so much of it was yellow, it wasn't like the whole map was painted in it, but still. There had been at least thirteen attacks last night; eight of those had cost lives. One of those had been on Tyler, but the other ones… other werewolves, actual wolves? She didn't know but she wanted to find out.

If it were werewolves they could be new to this, inexperienced and unaware how to lock themselves up. She wasn't sure if she could do anything but the least she could do was continue her research. That's what she told herself when she messaged her mother to request files of any wolf attacks over the past two months and any upcoming. Who knew, maybe some of those could be chalked up to actual rabid animals and others would proof to only happen once in a full moon. She wasn't sure what she could do about it, or if she would, but she needed to check it out. Those people hadn't deserved to die last night.

She folded the map back up and threw it in the box; she looked back up and stumbled back a step when she found Klaus leaning in the doorway, taking in her actions. "What are you doing here," she whispered.

"I was looking for you; my men told me that you were locked in this room all day. I was wondering if I could help you with anything," he explained. He was amused that she hadn't noticed him sooner. She had been so engrossed in that map, that little project of hers, that she hadn't even noticed him entering. For a few moments he had been able to observe her in her element. Completely focused, tucking those beautiful strands of hair behind her ear because they kept clouding her sight. He was sure she hadn't even noticed herself doing it, but he had.

He noticed everything about her, the distressed look on her face when she typed a message on her phone, the clenched fist while she looked back at her map and the way she hesitated a second before putting it all away. Whatever she had been up to, it was something that was haunting her. She wanted to stay busy with it and he was curious what kept her beautiful mind occupied.

"It's nothing you would be interested in," she bit at him and for a moment her was taken aback by her brisk tone but then he remembered. They had a little spat the day before and while he may be over it, Caroline wasn't that quick to forget. She clung to anything that could be an excuse to be hostile to him, only because it was better to admit to the truth. They had been there before. He knew she was doing it and she knew she was doing it. Now how could he get her to stop doing it…?

"You could try me? You never know if you don't ask."

"Okay fine," she turned around and faced him again, "I'm trying to find Tyler, so right now I'm looking through all the coroner reports of animal attacks that have transpired in the last 48 hours," she noticed how his jaw clenched when she mentioned finding Tyler, her ex would always be a tense subject between them. His first hybrid and the man he saw as his competition. She could explain that it wasn't like that, that she only wanted to stop him from shedding anymore innocent blood but what was the point, "And that's why I didn't tell you. You wouldn't have helped me. You're the reason I'm doing this in the first place."  
"You're not going to search for Tyler Lockwood, I've been fair to him. I could have killed him and instead he will have to live through some pain once a month. I've been more than fair, I've been kinder than he deserved," he growled. How couldn't Caroline understand that? Why would she still search for a man that had almost taken her life? "Or do you just want your boyfriend back? Is that what it's all about, still Tyler?"

"This isn't about me and Tyler! You compelled him to kill innocent people and he will keep doing that for the rest of his life. They don't deserve that! That's why I'm looking for him, because I need to find a way to stop him from doing _that!_" she threw the Alabama report at him. The ripped apart arm, the clawed corpse, that man wasn't supposed to die, he was only at the wrong place, wrong time…

He glanced at the photo of the mutilated corpse and wondered how Caroline had found pictures of this in the first place. The wounds definitely seemed wolf or hybrid inflicted but he had seen worse, "If Tyler wants to stop himself from killing people he should have found a better hiding place. He knew he would kill if he encountered anyone, it's not my fault he got sloppy."

"Sloppy? He's a hybrid! As you love to point out, you guys aren't that easy to chain down!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Let Tyler deal with his problems, you have your own set to worry about," Klaus reminded her, it wouldn't be another full moon for weeks. Her private investigation could wait, or stopped if he had it his way.

"Yeah… I noticed how your little minions kept checking on me. If I'm staying here, they have to go. I'm not some little kid that they have to babysit! Besides don't they have more pressing threats to look out for?"

"You're more important," he told her and she scoffed at him. Why was it that whatever he said, it was the wrong thing? He couldn't understand why he couldn't get it right with her.

She shook her head, she shouldn't let him affect her like that but he still did. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Stop saying things that make me want to…" stop pretend that I hate you. Being around him was going to be difficult, more difficult than she had anticipated. When she had given in, she wasn't supposed to see him again and now… denying was getting difficult.

"Make you want to do what?" he asked and leaned closer to her. He grabbed her hands in his and she quickly jumped out of his reach. She had to get out, before she did something she would regret. Or worse, something she wouldn't.

"I'm just going to go to my room…" she turned her back to him and exited the room, "Don't follow me!" she hissed when she felt his presence behind her.

"I'm not, I'm just going to my room," he said with a chuckle. She couldn't understand his amusement until she reached her door and he entered the room next to her. She should have known he would have given her the room closest to him. "Ugh!" she threw herself on her bed and could hear a chuckle coming from the other room.

She knew he couldn't understand why she wanted to help Tyler and he wouldn't help her either with it but didn't he see how it was her fault. If she hadn't come closer to Tyler, he wouldn't have bitten her and Klaus wouldn't have felt the need to protect her. That man would still have been alive. Klaus was wrong, those deaths weren't on Tyler; they were on her.

…

"Caroline I come bearing gifts!" Elena's voice called from behind her door; before she could open it her friend had already barged in the room with a few shopping bags in hand.

She looked at the bags in surprise, "Where have you been?"

"Exploring the city! I figured if we would stay here a little longer I would need more clothes and I figured Stefan just grabbed the first things he saw lying in your closet so I bought us some outfits!" she giggled and threw Caroline one of the bags.

She skimmed through it and noticed a few tops and dresses but one dress stood out. "Elena!" she exclaimed when she grabbed the black lace dress. It was short and strapless and it looked like it would cling to her body, "Why would you buy me this?"

"What you don't like it?" she said defensively, Katherine had eyed the dress herself but wanted to see Caroline in something more daring. There was someone that held great power beneath those bright colors and flower patterned shirts, what better than a daring dress to bring it out?

"It's gorgeous but not something I normally wear," she looked through the bags her friend held and noticed the black leather dress, "And that's not something you would normally wear either!"

"Well," Katherine hesitated for a moment, she should have known that Caroline knew exactly what Elena would and wouldn't buy, "We're in a new place and I wanted to go out, have fun. What better way to do that by not being us for a night," she noticed hesitation on Caroline's face and quickly continued, "Come on Care! We deserve some fun and I just… don't want to be Elena Gilbert for one night."

Caroline wavered for a moment but grabbed the dress, "Okay fine," she could see Elena's point. After everything that had happened to the girl, who was she to deny her some fun. "There's just one problem…"

"And that is?" Katherine raised her eyebrow, what could be stopping her night out?

"I'm kinda not supposed to leave…"

"And that's stopping you?"

"No but the vampires that are supposed to look out for me might!"

"So then we break out! Are you really going to let that little thing disrupt us from having fun?"

Caroline laughed and pushed her friend away, "Absolutely not, let me get ready and then we'll go!"

* * *

**I think I promised more about the witches last time... yeah sorry about that, clearly I didn't deliver. Well unless you count Lyanna's short visit, which you should because she did say something important ;) Either way, witches or not, the next chapter will feature more Klaus and of course Caroline and Katherine during their night out. Will they get caught? Will they even manage to break out? Your guess is as good as mine. ****  
**

**Please tell me what you think! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions!**

**Okay before I wave you guys off until the next chapter I should warn that I will have a lot of midterms in the upcoming weeks so I will be swamped. My other story Work For It should be updated next and between that and trying to study and work I'm not sure when the next update will be. It might take me a few weeks this time. You can always send me a message if you want to know more or if you want to tell me to speed along, motivation always works but unfortunately with midterms and work, I think it will take about two weeks... I'll try to post a sneak peek on tumblr somewhere between. (dreamsarefleeting)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you guys! You are all amazing and I can't believe I reached over 250 favorites after the last chapter and 300 reviews. It's incredible and thank you to each and every one of you that is reading and/or(?) enjoying this story. I love writing this story and you guys reactions make the experience even more enjoyable for me. **

**Now I don't want to waste any more words here, I've used enough of those things in this chapter :) It's a long one.**

**Before I create any confusion, the start of this chapter is from Klaus perspective and this happened before he walked into Caroline with her files ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Klaus had left the house with clear orders to all day- and nightwalkers present; someone should have eyes on Caroline Forbes at all times. He didn't explain his reasons, he didn't need to, but he felt better leaving her in that house with the reassurance that if the witches would be dumb enough to attack, Caroline was sheltered behind a wall of expendable vampires.

The need to be closer to her was suffocating him; he had heard her sleep in the room next to him, her shallow breaths and mumblings in her sleep keeping him awake. He had tried not to listen to the sounds she made but it had proved to be futile. She always knew how to draw him in without even trying. Apparently that was an ability that didn't stop while she was asleep.

Fortunately after a thousand years of life, sleep wasn't something he needed much of, so as soon as he heard the tussling in her sheets he had quickly left the house. He wanted to see her but he wasn't sure if he could face her yet. They had argued the night before and even though nothing was new in that area, he still knew he needed to give her some time to process everything that had happened. She was still defiant and he had seen that fire in her eyes when she had been willing to walk away.

Klaus needed her to stay with him but he also knew that she wasn't ready to hear that _yet. _Still it was in her best interest to stay close to him right now as well; she needed his blood for survival and he needed her presence for sanity.

But if there was one thing he had learnt about Caroline it was that he should never underestimate here. Yes Caroline wanted to live, she had a desire to see more from the world and an interest in everything outside her little town that matched his own but her desire to life didn't outweigh her desire to be her own person. She couldn't be forced into anything and to have this… disease in her system that made her dependent on him of all people... He knew her well enough to know that she might have accepted the situation for now; she wouldn't be this obedient for long.

With Caroline he would never win an argument, he couldn't. She was too stubborn for her own good and the only way for him to win was risk losing her. Those were odds he wouldn't face, a weakness he needed no one to know about. He couldn't stop his thoughts circling back to Caroline and he knew he needed to focus. Celeste wasn't beaten yet, the battle had barely started; she had made her opening move with Hayley but his family had yet to retaliate. They needed to know her game first; you can't play if you don't know all the players.

All he knew about Celeste game was that she was out for his destruction, the destruction of his whole family but she couldn't be working alone. No, this was a scheme too ambitious for the little witch Elijah had bed all those years ago. Still… there were too many variables and the first one he needed to solve was finding out how long she had been in Sabine's body. What did she know and who did she work with.

Rousseau's was a place as good as any other to meet with Marcel. Sophie wouldn't bother them and after the failed resurrection of her niece there was no way she was siding with Celeste in this. Marcel was already waiting for him when he arrived with two glasses in front of him.

When Klaus sat down next to him he shoved one of the glasses in his direction and his grim face told Klaus more than he needed to hear. "What did you uncover?" he asked straight to the point.

Marcel sighed, he had been on the lookout for any unusual occurrences in the witches' community the whole night and just when he had expected it all to be a waste they finally caught a break.

"It's Celeste, she appeared in the quarter last night with a group of witches. It seems like she has more support than we had anticipated."

"She showed up in the quarter? What would possess her to enter our domain?" Klaus wondered Celeste had stayed undercover for a questionable amount of time. She had proved to not be one to make impulsive decisions. Whatever had inspired her to come out of hiding had been part of her plot one way or the other.

Marcel shrugged, not concerned about Celeste's reasons, "Whatever she was attempting to achieve she failed, we had eyes on her at all times and it appeared more like a welcoming committee than a hex in the making."

"A welcoming committee?"

"Yes old families are returning to the quarter, witches that have abandoned their ancestors or left after the restriction on magic that I maintained," Marcel explained and Klaus could see his face fall at the thought of Davina, the young witch that informed him off every practice of magic in his kingdom.

"So these families are returning to join forces with Celeste…" she had support, that was something dangerous. People fighting for their cause, something they supported, were willing to die for it. They wouldn't be easily threatened or frightened but it wouldn't matter if she had one, ten or a hundred witches on her side. There was no way to kill him, not anymore and they would realize that soon enough. Still, just because he couldn't be killed, didn't mean others couldn't be. Caroline was here and if more witches were present, she would reside in even more danger than she already was. "How many families?"

"Three entered the quarter last night, two old ones that haven't practiced in decades but their families were powerful in the past. The other one has left right before you arrived, couldn't handle being close to their magic without using it so they cut all ties to it. Ten witches in total to join Celeste's front."

"Ten added to the already existing pool... We need to know more about these families, is there anything else you can tell me about Celeste."

The sound of a chair being dragged away distracted him and he looked at the person that had joined them, "I might be of help in that department."

"Sophie," he nodded at her and she returned it with a grim smile.

"After the botched ritual," her breath hitched at the thought of her failure, "I began thinking about Sabine, about how I never noticed that she wasn't Sabine. I mean there must have been signs right," she looked at Marcel and Klaus and they nodded for her to continue, "Well I remembered last August when Sabine went on this unexpected trip for like a month, the thing is, I don't think she ever went on a trip."

"Sophie what does your friend going or not going on a trip have anything do to with Celeste?" Marcel interrupted and grinned at the glare he got in return.

"Nothing, but I don't think she was Sabine back then. I believe that's when Sabine was… well no longer Sabine. I mean she never let me know where she was, what happened. One day in summer, she was just gone and I got a text message after repeatedly calling that she needed some time away. After she was back it went all back to the old, so I never paid any attention to it, but it could-"

"It would fit, we know she must have been in Sabine's body for a year at least, if we have the timeline it would help but how do know this information is reliable?"

"Because I just told you," Sophie insisted, "I've told you what happened, I know Sabine and knowing what I know now… That wasn't Sabine."

"And you would just help us vampires survive out of the goodness of your heart?"

"No," Sophie bit out, clenching her jaw, "I could care less about your survival but Celeste, she stopped Monique's return. My niece is dead, my sister is dead and I don't have anyone, anything to live for except one thing: to make sure that the one that ruined this all will pay. I thought that she was my friend for over a year, my family and she betrayed me. Trust me, I want her dead!" her voice grew louder and she all but slammed her fist on the table. She had lost everything; she had nothing left to lose.

Klaus took her in, he recognized the need for revenge and she could proof to be useful… she did have information that could be valuable and in the end what did they have to lose? The only alliance they had with a witch was the young Lyanna and she didn't proof to be very fruitful. Granted he hadn't given her much time but with the stakes this high she should be properly motivated. If she still failed him with the Grimoires she would have lost her chance.

"Okay you can help. You've lived in the witch community so you know more about the witches working with Celeste than I do. I need you to tell Marcel everything that you know," he stood up and started walking out of the bar.

"Where are you going?" Marcel called after him.

"Checking up on my guest," Klaus called back and turned around missing the look Marcel threw him.

"What was _that_ for?" Sophie wondered and looked bitterly, working with Marcel after their past didn't come easy to her. If she hadn't told him about the harvest he wouldn't have saved Davina… maybe if it had been completed the first time none of this… She couldn't think like that. There were no what if's, this was reality and if she needed to work with vampires to stop Celeste she would. She needed some of her family back or at the very least avenge them.

"What?" he retorted and looked at her with his patent sly smile.

"I know that face, whoever Klaus is off to see, you don't like it."

"I just think he's making a mistake, that's all."

"Why?"

"I have known Klaus for years and now there's a young girl that has him distracted just when a war is breaking out in this city. Seems awfully convenient doesn't it?" Marcel explained, laying his doubts on the table. From what he had gathered Klaus had been enamored with Caroline in Mystic Falls as well but he hadn't been there long, what if Celeste had somehow gotten to her in that time. The witch had somehow gotten her paws in Hayley and must have known that Klaus had slept with her in Mystic Falls, maybe she had had more eyes on them than they had realized, for longer than they had realized.

The blonde was young, stubborn but she seemed protective of her friends. If she or her friends had been threatened she could very well have decided that the world was better off without the Originals. She had no loyalty, wasn't bound to them in anyway except for this mysterious disease… He didn't know anything about Caroline Forbes and he didn't like not knowing anything about people coming into his city, their city.

"You don't trust her," Sophie deduced, "Does Klaus know?"

"Right now, I don't trust anyone I don't know. That bitch didn't just kill your niece, she's responsible for Davina's death as well and I'm not underestimating her again."

"So what do you want to do about it?"

"For now, I just want you to tell me all that you know. I'll have someone look into the girl myself, we just have to make sure Klaus doesn't know about it," he stated with a stern look and she nodded. She wouldn't tell, if Caroline was involved with Celeste in any way she wanted to exploit that just as much as Marcel did.

* * *

"Knock knock," Katherine called while she walked into the room. She looked around the bedroom and noticed the large bed that was neatly made. She walked towards it and let her hand trail over the soft sheets. Elijah's bed, so close yet so far. For now.

"Elena?" she could hear his wary voice and she quickly spun around trying to look inconspicuous. It was a good plan in theory but she hadn't anticipated seeing him walk in with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Specks of water still clung to his chest and she had to tear her eyes away from his form. Meeting up with him in his bedroom probably wasn't her wisest idea; she was making this far too hard for herself.

Quickly reminding herself that she had to act like Elena she turned around, "Sorry, I needed to deliver a message to Klaus… I figured you would be a save mediator. I can go-" she could hear the rustling of fabric behind her and she knew he was getting dressed. Too bad, no matter how much she loved his suits, she still preferred him without any clothes at all.

"There's no need, you can turn around now Elena," she faced him again and her suspicions were right, Elijah stood in front of her dressed in a pair of slacks and was busy buttoning up his shirt. The top three buttons were still undone and her eyes stayed on the exposed skin until he covered it completely. "The message," he said when he noticed her moment of silence.

"Right, well uhm in the quarter today… I was cornered by a witch," she started and she cursed herself for sounding nervous. Katherine Pierce didn't do nervous.

"Are you okay?" he asked worried and he looked her over to see if she was harmed anywhere.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she felt self conscious under his gaze and stroked her hand through her hair, fixing a loose strand. She could feel Elijah's eyes follow the movement and for a moment she felt anger flare up. Sure she had hoped that she could get Elijah back as Elena, but did she really want him to fall for Elena? Had she meant so little to him that the mere appearance of her was enough to distract him?

She shook her head; she had to erase thoughts like these. Elijah and Elena had an understanding, they were friends and he was just concerned, it's one of the qualities she had admired in him.

"It wasn't one of her witches, it was a young girl and she told me to give you guys a message," he directed her to continue, "she had heard Celeste talking about a girl that had come to New Orleans, she's essential for their plans, also," she thought back to Lyanna's words, "She was looking for the books but it would take her a couple of days. If Klaus wants her to get Celeste's trust he needs to give her some time."

Elijah listened attentively, "Why would she give this message to you?"

"She was in the house when Caroline and I arrived yesterday. She said that it wouldn't be safe to come over every time she needed to pass on some information," in an afterthought she added, "Smart girl."

"Well thank you Elena, is there anything else I can assist you with?"

She could think of a few things but none she could say out loud, "No, I'm good. Thanks Elijah, I'm just going to spend some time with Caroline."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," she said and left his room turning around and caught his eyes on her back while he was closing the door behind her. She wanted to question Caroline about Elena's past interactions with Elijah because he was acting way to comfortable with her, paying too much attention to her, but she could hardly question the girl about herself. She as far as Caroline believed that is. She shook her head; this was getting way too confusing. There was just one thing she needed to do and then she and Caroline could explore the night life of New Orleans. Calling Nadia followed by breaking free with little Miss Mystic, could be interesting. Caroline had a habit to surprise her.

Back in her room she immediately grabbed her phone and went outside, finding a secluded place without listening vampires to make her call. She could hear the phone ringing and after three rings she was growing nervous. Why wasn't her daughter answering?

Did she just not want to talk to her mother or had something happened in her absence? Was leaving her behind a mistake, again? "Click."

"Hello?" she could hear the voice of her beautiful daughter through the speaker and her own words rushed out.

"Nadia! It's so good to hear you, I'm so sorry I left you behind. I had an opportunity and I couldn't resist it, I'm sorry, I should have let you know."

"Katherine?" Nadia replied wary, "Where have you been? You just disappeared."

"I know sweetheart, it was Caroline… She had a condition and the only way to help her was to get her to New Orleans and being Elena-" she stopped herself. She was making excuses and she couldn't continue like that. Not if she wanted to deserve that second chance. "No that's not true."

"What are you talking about? You just left without a word after everything that had happened. I've tried looking for you but Matt had no idea where you'd left to and I could hardly question the Salvatores about your whereabouts."

"Okay you're my daughter and you deserve the truth. The thing is, I'm not good at this, I'm still learning and I'm not a good person, I don't want to be. But what I do want is to be better, deserving of your love or that of anyone else but I'm not ready for that yet," she took a deep breath, "So when Caroline needed to go to New Orleans I took the first chance I had to go with her, to be with Elijah and you can't follow me. Not yet, it's not safe her and I want to keep you out of the crosshairs," she could hear Nadia's protests through the phone, the accusations and she tried to block them out.

"I will call you when it's safe, when we can get together again, but for now, trust me this is for the best. You're better off without me. I'm not a good mother," she ended the call and punched the wall next to her, concrete crumbling next to her.

Calling Nadia like that had been hard, it had been cruel but it had to be done. She couldn't have her daughter follow, she couldn't be explained and she wasn't sure what Klaus would do if he discovered she had a daughter. Besides that, she didn't need to be dragged into this supposed battle that was growing in the quarter. If Nadia would hate her forever that would be a good thing because at least this way Katherine knew she was safe.

She sighed and went back to the house; Caroline better be prepared to drink a lot of alcohol because she felt like she could use every single drop she could get her hands on.

* * *

The door creaked and Caroline saw Elena's reflection appear in her mirror, "One moment," she mouthed while she put the finishing touch on her lips. The red lipstick and the smoky eyes were a lot darker than she normally wore but she liked the difference for once. Elena was right, they were in New Orleans and they deserved some fun, one night of not being them. Small town girl… it's not always enough.

"You look HOT!" she exclaimed when she saw all of Elena in her mirror in her black leather dress. She had never seen Elena in a dress like that and she knew that if the Salvatores saw her in this outfit they wouldn't let her leave the house; Damon would have probably taken her back into his bedroom with the way the leather outlined her figure perfectly. The front of the dress was low-cut, showing just enough cleavage to leave them guessing and she was pretty sure this was the sexiest she had ever seen Elena dressed.

Elena smiled at her, "You think so? I was afraid it would be too much. I mean I know it's not something I would normally wear but maybe different is good you know?"

"Sure it's different but its good different and now that you're finally single you're going to have a lot of guys to reject tonight."

"We," Elena corrected, "You look pretty smoking yourself Care. Ready to break some hearts tonight?" she linked her arm through Caroline's.

Caroline chuckled, "As ready as I'll ever be," she pulled down the hem of her dress and walked them to the window. "I figured this works better than the door…"

"We have to jump?" Elena pouted, "I just bought these shoes," she glanced at her black stiletto's and Caroline let out a giggle.

"Hey you're the one wanting to break out of Klaus house and he's not going to allow me to walk out of that door."

"Well okay," a spark shined in Elena's eyes, "After you."

"Nope, together," Caroline jumped dragging Elena with her. They landed effortlessly and they looked back up to see if anyone had heard the sound of their drop. "We're clear. Let's go," Caroline whispered unaware of the pair of eyes on her.

"Where to start?" Elena asked with a big grin on her face.

"Well you've had the chance to explore today. You lead," she waved her hand in front of her, signaling Elena to take the lead. She had no idea where to go but she couldn't wait to see more of the city. The view from the car had been great but too limited. She couldn't wait to see it at night.

"Very well, I might know a place or two that will serve us. And if they don't there is always compulsion," she led them away from the house, looking out for any vampires that could be working for Klaus but she didn't see them near them. She assumed they were finally sent out by Klaus to work on that witch problem. Good, the sooner that was solved…

Rebekah walked back from her window, her eyes focused on the retreating backs of the two girls. She had heard enough to know that they were only breaking out for some drinks, some fun and she knew that Klaus would have her head if she didn't tell him about Caroline's disappearance but really, who was she to be in the way of some harmless activities. She looked into her wardrobe and grabbed a red bodycon dress; it was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and black lace sleeves. If she was going to crash a girl's night out, she wanted to be dressed to kill. She might not be particularly fond of Caroline and the doppelganger but they weren't going anywhere any time soon. If you can't beat them… join them, at least long enough to find out more that is.

…

"Okay so I admit that maybe that wasn't the best place to enter," Katherine apologized while Caroline was doubled over from laughter.

"No it was perfect!" she rested against the wall to keep her balance, "I'm not sure if I should be offended though," she continued and tried to stop her own laughter. Tears were running down her face and she was pretty sure her makeup was getting ruined if she didn't stop them soon.

"You have nothing to be offended by, maybe he just preferred brunettes?"

"No but really Elena, a strip club?"

"Hey you weren't the one being mistaken for an employee!" Katherine pointed out and smirked at Caroline. A sleazy man who couldn't have been much older than thirty had approached Katherine while she and Caroline had entered the bar. She had been curious to see why everyone was going in, not noticing the signs and when they had realized their mistake Caroline had wanted to leave but she had insisted on taking at least one shot before they left. While they waited for their glasses a hand had rested on her ass and she resolutely slapped it aside.

He had tried to make it up to her by paying her double for a dance but had been greatly disappointed when she told him she wasn't for sale. Caroline had lost it, taking in the exchange from the side and Katherine had needed to drag her outside to get some much needed air.

"I blame your shoes," Caroline joked and laughed when Elena glared at her.

"There's nothing wrong with my shoes," Katherine exclaimed but there was a joking edge to it. She was actually enjoying herself, the situation was humorous and she couldn't remember the last time she had a friend that she got into these kinds of situations with.

"No they look like stripper shoes," an accented voice spoke and appeared out of the shadows.

"Rebekah, what are you doing here?" Caroline asked, noticing the girl's outfit and realized she was planning on going out as well.

"Well I'm here to join you of course. Unless you want me to go back and explain to Nik where you have run off to? I'm quite sure he would be interested to hear about you in a strip club."

"He would certainly pay well to see it," Katherine quipped and smiled at the sight of Caroline's glare.

"We were just-"

"Going to look for another place to let loose? Look you might not enjoy my company and I might detest yours but out here I'm the best friend you can have."

"Why is that?" Katherine questioned, crossing her arms. She knew Rebekah had to have a motive. The girl had never cared for anyone that her brothers were involved with and Caroline wasn't any different.

"Because unlike you two I actually know places out here beside strip clubs and beside that," she let out an exasperated sigh, "If anyone comes looking for trouble I'm the best bet to keep you two safe."

"And why would you care about our safety? You never have," Caroline exclaimed, "Just go back Rebekah, we both now that you would rather spend time with anyone else than us."

"Maybe she doesn't have any other options," Katherine chimed in and observed the youngest Original.

"Look make of it what you want but I don't care what you two think," she turned to Caroline, "And no you're right, I don't give a damn about your safety but my brother does and we may have a thousand issues but I don't want to see him hurt just because you get yourself killed. So either I'm coming with you or I'll escort the two of you back to Klaus."

Caroline turned to her friend and she noticed Elena's stubborn expression. None of them were particularly fond of the idea but they were all too headstrong to give up. They wanted their night out and they weren't going to give up on it either. "No," Elena begged her, "How are we going to have fun with her tagging along."

"Well we're not going to have any fun if she alerts Klaus either, so it seems like we're stuck together."

…

"Come on Care, dance with me!" Elena called over from the crowded dance floor, her body moving eagerly on the sound of the beat. When she had told her that she wanted to be someone else that night Caroline hadn't expected her to be so true to her words. Still she could still see Elena in there; she wasn't being reckless, just free.

She was enjoying herself and she didn't want to be a downer on Elena's fun. "Let me finish my drink first," she raised her glass at her and Elena nodded continuing her dancing. She slowly moved her hips on the rhythm of the song and closed her eyes. Caroline could see her losing herself in the music and she wished she could join in the fun.

She just wasn't feeling it right now, she had wanted to break out as much as Elena had wanted but she could feel a dread of doom building up in the pit of her stomach. Had it been wise to leave without telling anyone where they had went? If Klaus discovered her empty room he would go mental, using every resource he had to find her and all that because she wanted to have a night out… They should be concerned with actual threats, like the witches, not waste them on her.

Still it would be pointless to argue with Klaus about that. He wanted her safe so she would be but that reminded her that being without his protection did mean it was unsafe for her here. She had no way to identify those threats and she was actually grateful that Rebekah had decided to join them. The Mikaelsons might be the worst enemies but they were also the best of… whatever she and Rebekah were. The point was that Klaus wanted her alive so they would keep her that and even though she loved to complain about his restrictions and protective streak, he did keep her safe and she appreciated that.

"So why aren't you dancing?" she asked Rebekah who had also stayed behind when Elena had left to dance.

Rebekah looked at the crowd with a face full of disdain, the bodies on the dance floor jumping up and down on something they called music, "This isn't really my scene," she barked and took another sip of her glass.

Caroline looked over bewildered, "Than why would you recommend it?"

"Well Elena wanted to dance and unless she wanted to take the stage in that charming place you two visited before it wouldn't really matter where we went anyway."

"So you don't dance? That's not true, I've seen you dance plenty of times in Mystic Falls gatherings."

"Well between decade balls and our own gatherings I haven't really had the opportunity to get used to the current music styles. It's much different than the twenties…" She missed the sophisticated dance styles from the older days and the techno beat just didn't do it for her. Sure she could dance on it but it was anything but her preference.

"Oh I totally forgot," she pushed her hand through her hair suddenly realizing the uncomfortable topic they were approaching: the time that Rebekah had missed because of her brother's dagger.

"Well I haven't. Don't get me wrong I'm used to this time, after a thousand years you learn to adapt but this," she motioned to the dancing people, "Isn't my preferred dance style."

Caroline smiled surprised that she managed to hold a civil conversation with Rebekah, over dancing no less. "So why insist on coming with us?"

"Honestly?" Rebekah asked, continuing when she nodded, "I wanted a chance to question you without the presence of my brothers."

And the moment was gone. She groaned and walked away from Rebekah in the direction of the bar, "Hey where are you running off to!" Rebekah called after her.

"If I'm going to have this conversation again, I'm going to need a lot more to drink!" she exclaimed and ordered both her and Rebekah three shots. She returned with them to their table and took two before telling Rebekah to start her questions.

"Again?" Rebekah asked before she took the first shot. She shouldn't be surprised because of course she wasn't the only one curious to Caroline's arrival, especially after the disaster that had happened with Hayley only weeks ago.

"Elijah wanted to know more today as well. From his I could understand it, I mean I've never met him before so I doubt he knew much about me either but you? You've been in Mystic Falls for almost as long as Klaus has been what can you possibly have to ask about me?"

"There is your mysterious condition to start," Rebekah pointed out exasperated. She should have just asked Elijah what he had uncovered but she wasn't only interested in Caroline, there were those that had been left behind in Mystic Falls also to consider.

"Well there's not much to tell about that, considering its mysterious and all that," she countered and sighed before she took her last shot. She should have just asked for a complete tray, starting a serious conversation with Rebekah and all could only take a certain amount of time before accusations would be thrown at each other.

"So you have no idea how you could have possessed something previously unheard of?" Rebekah asked doubtfully and Caroline realized the difference between her and Elijah. Where Elijah had been more interested in her connection with Klaus and how that could be used to help his family Rebekah was more distrustful. She knew Caroline better than Elijah had and had also seen how she had resisted most of Klaus attempts, but she hadn't been there on the moments that she had allowed him to get close, no one had so why should she be trustful of her now? They hadn't seen her almost dying for all Rebekah knew she made it up.

"Seriously? Well until Klaus tried to sacrifice my friend right there to end his curse, Originals were pretty much unheard of as well. Still, soon after we've met your whole family so I guess that proves that some things you haven't heard about can exist."

"Just know that I'm keeping my eyes on you, so I would be careful," Rebekah advised and Caroline rolled her eyes at her.

"In case you haven't noticed, Klaus has appointed about five or ten vampires to check up on me every other hour. Sure he's doing it for my health but one extra pair of eyes on me wouldn't really make a difference if I had something maleficent planned."

Rebekah scoffed, "Don't think you're that special. It's probably just because he loves a challenge, as soon as he had you he will move on to the next girl and we are finally rid of you."

She knew that Rebekah was just trying to get a rise out of her but she still turned bright red at the memory. She had given in to Klaus already but Rebekah wasn't aware of that. At least she hadn't been but from the sounds leaving her, Caroline's reaction had given her away.

"Oh no, you've got to be- When did this-" Rebekah halted herself and thought back to their last visit in Mystic Falls, "Katherine's deathbed, really?" Ugh the thought of her brother sleeping with anyone wasn't one she needed to have in her mind and she quickly reached to the shots she had left. Caroline reached out to one of hers as well, having already run out of her owns but she swatted the girls hand away. "Oh no, those are mine."

She wasn't sure what had surprised her more, Klaus still caring about the girl or Caroline still keeping her distance. She was proven wrong and she realized that these two deserved each other; both infuriating.

They remained silent for a few moments until Caroline could no longer handle the awkward situation. Sure in Mystic Falls everyone was aware that she had slept with Klaus, and Elena still joked about it as well but this was his sister… The same sister that couldn't stand her.

"So if that was all, I think I'm going to join Elena," Caroline rushed out and left Rebekah alone. She felt bad about abandoning the girl now that she knew that she wasn't fond of the club herself but she wasn't going to endure another second of questions. Everyone could continue tomorrow. She joined Elena and they quickly danced together.

"Finally decided to ditch the Original Barbie?" Elena shouted in her ear while she danced behind Caroline.

She chuckled at the nickname, she was certain that Damon had come up with it in the past. "I couldn't leave you alone," Caroline joked and laughed when Elena twirled her around so that they faced each other.

"Good," Elena told her, "Don't leave me alone Care, you're the only one here that I trust."

Caroline could hear the emotion in her friend's voice and realized that even though she had Klaus ensuring her survival, Elena was alone here. The closest friend she had was Elijah but for the rest of them she was expendable, just another person around and she was thankful that she had still decided to stay with her. No there had been nothing to think over for the girl, as soon as she had realized what was going on she had made the decision to go. Sure she hadn't really appreciated the neck snapping but she knew that in her heart Elena meant well. She danced closer towards her friend and wrapped her arms around her neck, "You know I love you," she whispered in her ear and hugged her close.

She could feel Elena's arms wrap around her tentatively, "Thank you, you're a great friend."

Caroline let Elena go and continued their dance, "I'm the best," she laughed and she noticed emotions cross over her friends face that she couldn't identify.

For a moment Elena paused and then she continued her dancing, a big grin on her face. They danced for hours and eventually even Rebekah ended up joining when Elena ended up dancing with a random guy. She had shrugged when he had started to jump between the two of them and had followed his movements leaving Caroline alone until Rebekah jumped in.

They danced near one another, never really dancing together, moving silently until Rebekah decided to break the silence, "I never asked you how Matt was doing," she started with a safe topic.

"He's good, still the same you know."

"Still working in the Grill?" Rebekah asked and Caroline laughed at the question.

"Of course." It wasn't like there were many jobs available in the small town, especially not for teens that had to rely on their self for an income. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving his life when you and Klaus were in Mystic Falls."

"I didn't do it for you," Rebekah pointed out.

Caroline sighed; there was no way to appease her. Sure they weren't ripping each other's hairs out but even talking about Matt… Rebekah knew that she hadn't approved of her relationship with Matt and Rebekah was still in a sense jealous of the connection she had with the boy. It reminded her off her doubts about Elena when she began dating Matt but the difference was that Matt really did still had some left over feelings for her friend as where Matt and Caroline were completely over. "Look I know you care about Matt and he cares about you as well."

"I know he does, it just doesn't matter. He's human and he wants to stay that way."

"Yeah," Caroline got distracted when the smell of blood dominated the club, she looked over at Rebekah who was looking around as well, "You smell that as well don't you?"

"Yes, keep your face under control," Rebekah pointed out while she took Caroline's hand to lead them to the source. The smell was strong, not something a single cut would achieve, numerous injuries would be necessary, possibly multiple victims but no one was screaming or acting out of the ordinary.

Caroline didn't feel the need to point out that she could resist the temptation but remembered that they had left Elena; she wasn't sure how her friend would do. "I need to find Elena," she said and broke away from Rebekah. She couldn't leave her friend behind while she had no idea what was going on.

The blonde looked back to Caroline for a moment, cursing until she decided to follow the trail and let Caroline return to Elena. If someone had attacked a human in the quarter she needed to know who it had been. If someone broke the rules they needed to know.

Caroline had pushed through the crowd in the direction of Elena but halfway she was intervened by a boy her age with dark hair, he had blocked her passage and she tried to push past him but found herself walking into a barrier. From the people walking through it without any trouble she knew exactly what she was dealing with. "Let me pass," she insisted but the boy just smiled at her and walked away, leaving her stuck in her place.

She could see him walking into Elena's direction and she tried to get her friend's attention, she couldn't scream bloody murder in a club so she jumped up and down, waving her arms around and yelling Elena's name. She got some annoyed looks but didn't let them faze her. She could see her friend still dancing, completely unaware of anything going on and she suddenly wondered why she wasn't being affected by the smell of blood in the air.

She could still smell it clear but for Elena it was like she had no concern and that witch was getting closer and closer to her. Caroline had assumed that she was the one being cut off from the outside but what if it was the opposite. What if they were locking Katherine in? She didn't seem to hear her, smell the blood… She didn't know what the witches would want with Elena, especially since everyone seemed certain that she was the one that needed to be protected considering the affection Klaus had for her, but here one was, paying her no attention.

"Elena, fuck, just turn around," she shouted again and ignored the glares from the couple dancing next to her. She tried to push away the barrier again but stumbled against it, she couldn't pass it… but they could. She grabbed the guy dancing next to her and maintained eye contact, ignoring his partner that threw her a glare. "See that guy there?" she pointed at the witch that was getting close to Elena, "I need you to start a fight with him," she compelled him and let out a sigh from relief when he nodded at her. She released him and he immediately run off to tackle the witch. They were right next to Elena and when bodies pushed aside to create space for the fighting pair she was pushed aside and it finally seemed to snap the girl back to her surroundings.

She looked at the fighting men in confusion and took a few steps away from them. Caroline tried the force field again and discovered that her assumption was right; the distraction had messed with his concentration and faltered his spell. She pushed through the crowd to get to Elena who was still watching the fighting men. She noticed how both men were getting in some good punches and the witch would surely have a black eye the next day but luckily he was aware enough of his surroundings not to use magic in public, "We have to go, now!"

"Where were you?" Elena looked around and Caroline could see the veins under her eyes thicken, "Is that blood?"

"Questions later, we should go," she pulled Elena with her and started walking towards the exit; she turned around, checking if Elena was still following her when she collided with a firm chest.

"Going somewhere love?"

"Klaus," she breathed out in relief, "What are you doing here?" she noticed Elijah standing next to him and shook her head, "Doesn't matter, Elijah take Elena back to the house and keep her safe," she turned back towards her friend, "I'll explain everything later."

Katherine wanted to ask what was going on but she noticed the concern on Caroline's face, she trusted the girl's judgment, "Okay, tell me everything later," she walked towards Elijah and noticed him sharing a look with Klaus before he nodded and together they ran off.

"Any reason for ordering my brother around Caroline?" Klaus asked, his jaw was clenched and she knew he hated not to know what was going on but she couldn't waste time explaining how she herself had no idea what was going on exactly.

She took a deep breath and looked him in his eyes, "Do you trust me? Because if you do, you're going to help me find your sister."

He sighed; he already knew about Rebekah's whereabouts, she was the one that had called him in the first place. He had been angry when he discovered that Caroline an Elena had sneaked out but Rebekah insisted there had been more pressing matters and asked him to go to the club. "She's at the back entrance."

"Let's see what she found," Caroline said and looked around to see if the witch reappeared. The crowd had seemed to quiet down but she couldn't be sure, not after what she had almost witnessed. She hated feeling powerless and even though she wasn't a fan of taking someone's will away, in this case it possibly had saved her friend's life. If only she knew why they had been after her friend in the first place.

* * *

**This chapter was huge and I still haven't written everything and had to cut some scenes as well (the reason Klaus didn't hear Kat and Care leave was because he was painting in another part of the house ;)) but this is the longest chapter I've ever written. The next chapter will consist out of what happened with Rebekah after her and Caroline split, what they find and also more Katherine and Elijah while they're awaiting the return of Klaus and Caroline.**

**I'm going into hiding now... If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to leave them in a review or PM, I always answer them!**

**I have midterms or work every day this week so I won't get any writing done (and I still haven't updated Work for It sorry guys!) so I'll try to get another chapter up in a week or two again. If I manage I'll post a sneak peek on my tumblr again :)**


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